Daughter of Smaug
by 1Deivle
Summary: A young girl goes into the mines of the misty mountain her parents dead her life worthless and alone in a town destroyed, she gives herself to Smaug for a better way to die. The last dragon alive sees something in the girl, a little flame something that can entertain him before his final slumbers. He will teach the girl his ways instilling a part of himself into her.
1. Chapter 1

**OK - so this was just an idea that sprung into my head don't know where it is going but hey ain't that the fun of it**

 **as i think we all know I don't own the rights to any of Tolkien's work, just a fan**

 **please let me know what you think!**

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It was more beautiful than she had ever imagined she had found a crack a way into the mountain. Her hands were sore and bloodied from the climb. She did not remember how but her body still that of a child's was able to fit through and over the rocks that covered the mountain and now she was staring at it. The treasure of the dwarves. Mountains made of gold went as far as the eyes could see, pillars of gems and precious stones held up the great stone cavern. The sight brought a few tears to her eyes, she had been told stories, but never could she have imagined this. She stepped down from the ledge that she was on walking down stone steps until she was walking on gold. She could not help but break a small smile.

Then she heard it, a shift in one of the mountains of gold. And slowly rose the head of Smaug. His golden eyes looking around as he stretched his neck from his slumber. She resisted the urge to hide, the natural urge to run as fast as she could and never return. But there was nowhere to run to and even if she did all she would be able to see for the rest of her life would be grey compared to this. So she waited it took but a moment and then he spoke slowly breathing out a great sigh through his nostrils blowing a great pile of gold away.

"Foolish human, did you think that it would only take a few years for me to die? Or did you think you could steal from a sleeping dragon." he said his head turning towards her

"No." she said her voice shaking and cold she felt frozen and unable to say more than that

"So then what did you think you would accomplish by coming here, " he said his body now moving out from under the pile of gold, it sparked and shined as it fell if possible making it more beautiful than she thought it could be. "To tell a tale of seeing a dragon, or perhaps you have come to steal my gold for yourself hmm?" he said walking towards her, "Although," he said with a curious tone to his voice, "I did not expect a child to enter my cave." his head weaved around the pillars moving closer to her his body taking up what she could see now of the hall he rose his neck now to look down on the girl. "Why have you come here" after a few moments he could see she was frozen in place it brought him a bit of pleasure as it usually did to frighten humans, but this one was smaller and interested him he had been sleeping for a few years and though he was in constant enjoyment of his gold, from time to time he became in need of some stimulation and it was rare to have visitors. He lowered his head moving it along the gold until his face was even with hers and asked again. "Why have you come here, child. Was it just to die?" there was another pause and as Smaug thought she was not going to speak again he heard a whisper. "Speak louder human" another pause as he could see the tiny thing take a large breath.

"Yes" the girl said louder and in an even voice.

Smaug let out a mighty roaring laugh his head going up to the top of the cavern. The gold and shook at the sound and the some of the pillars cracked he let his body slide across the gold that he loved so much. It had been a very long time since he had laughed he thought as he looked down at the girl. She was small a speck of nothing in this great hall and he had not heard something so amusing in a very long time, so he mused to her his head falling again to her height, "So tell me small one why have you come here to die?"

"You killed my parents when you attacked Dale," the girl said evenly

Smaug turned his head, "and it depressed a little one so much that they wished to die of the same beast?"

"My parents death brought me no pain or joy, I was nothing but a babe when you attacked. My grandfather survived, an old and frail man who had nothing, so iturn, I had nothing, something very common in Lake town where he lived. But one cannot survive on nothing and so he died of starvation feeding me more than himself. I will die soon as well. As nothing." she said looking down at the gold, "Worthless in life and worthless in death starvation, drowning, assault" she took a breath looking Smaug in the eye, straight and resolved something no elf, dwarf, or man had done before, "no no I would rather die surrounded by gold and fire."

Smaug looked at her another she was frail, more so than he had seen any other human, she would not even be much of a snack, he could see her bones and hear her heart beating with all its might no matter how weak it was. Her hair was brown filled with the same dirt and grime that covered the rest of her. Yet there was something striking about her, "So your life was worthless? I would tend to agree with you as all most all human life is." Smaug breathed in bringing his head up, "yet how you wish to die is…. Interesting to say the least." he moved around surveying all the gold around him. His thoughts churning with something, a thought, he was not even sure he could do. "Tell me girl what do you know of dragons?"

The girl was still, she was surprised to still be alive, her plan had been to enter and die, very simple and quick, why was the dragon drawing it out, from everything she knew they were violent and bloodthirsty. with a hollow voice and unsure of what to say she responded in the manner that she could, one of a child "You are powerful and like gold?"

Three was another chuckle as Smaug rounded another column to glance at her, "True, very true we are powerful creatures, created in the pits of Angband, and brought to life by Morgoth. And I am most likely the last of them. Since the defeat of Morgoth's tool, there has been little of him in this world. Yet I wonder..." Smaug who at this point was a ways from the girl still moving between the columns moved his head to look straight at the her. The thought flickered in his head like a flame. "Girl, what if I gave you life with death."

"What do you mean?" she said shifting and entirely confused

"It would entertain me greatly, to see if I can create something out of you, an insignificant human. A weak and pointless creation." he crawled around moving across the gold and gems towards her, his eyes hungry and bright with something she could not place, yet it sent a chill down her spine. She had come here to die it was simple she could feel her body failing her, every day was worse than the last, her stomach ached always and her head never stopped banging, she was so weak, so tired of living, "Do what you will I have come here to die as I have said before."

"Ahhh yes you have, but listen girl for what I am offering you is priceless in its nature. Morgoth created me, but now that I have all that I want I find myself not fully content. I have not conquered all there is to conquer there is still one more thing I wish to do." he look a great inhale of breath and smiled a great toothy smile, "let us create against the will of the valar themself. I will sleep happily knowing that I have defied the undefyable like my creator before me. You will become something greater than you are now, and will not be subjected to the weakness of humanity. What do you say child?" Smaug was now again at her height watching her for a response.

The girl looked into the eye of Smaug it shone in the dark of gold and fire itself she could see nothing else, yet in his pupil, she saw her life. No, it was no life, it was just a slow death. Pain and anger flooded her body she had felt so empty so hollow all the time going nowhere doing only what was necessary to survival. The blood, the dirt, the stench of her life was not even worth remembering and without even realizing she was speaking the words floated into the air, "Please destroy me and make me more than this rotting human corpse."

Smaug stepped slowly back, and as though the girl was in a trance she moved through towards him until eventually, they were in the center of the room. Gathering what magic and power he could remember having he took a giant breath and held it for a time. Then through his giant nostrils, a red smoke began to drift and swarm around the girl.

At first, the smoke was warm around her feet. It then began to encircle her and go into her mouth and nose. The girl breathed in and it was as though she had breathed in the fire itself. Her lungs were ablaze and falling apart within her. As the red smoke seeped into her skin it burned away all her clothes, her hair fell to the floor and her skin began to burn black as coal her veins pumping fire. She could not breath so she could not scream from the pain. As the final wisp of the smoke entered the childes body she looked as though she was a burnt corps flailing without mind or soul. Then Smaug let out a breath of fire melting the gold around her as she failed around she soon became encompassed in it. Smaug piled more gold onto her melting it until it was in the shape of an egg. And there dived Smaug under the gold circling the egg. Now and then warming it aglow with fire and so he did for 10 years.

Until one night there was a storm so violent even the mountain rumbled with its thunder and Smaug moved from the egg. The coins dripped from him like rain as he sat tall looking down at the small egg as he could see it glowing from the center red and melting from the inside out came an arm from the top covered in gold the egg melting around the arm further and further down it melted revealing a girl still young the years not touching her age. As her body continued to burn black steam surrounded her. She shook her head and gold fell from it like droplets yet leaving its hue upon her hair. Golden designs covered her skin and lit with fire as the last gold dripped off her and she stepped towards Smaug.

"Yes come here come closer my child," Smaug said binging his head down to look at her closer. The designs on her body looked some like scales and other intricate swirling designs pulsing with gold and fire. Steam came from her nose and as he narrowed his eyes he saw a pair eerily similar to his staring back at him. With that, he let out a thunderous roar as the cave shook with another round of thunder outside bombing as though it was itself praising his creation. As his laughter grew he heard a screeching coming from the girl he looked down at her the sound of a small dragon bursted from her tiny throat. Pride swelled within him he bent his great head down again to her.

"Welcome my child, your name shall be Sunal, and I have much to teach you." He blew hot steam into her face and and Sunal breathed it in comforted by its warmth she let out another screech reaching her head to his snout and rubbing it against it. Smaug let out a deep chuckle as he spoke "Yes my child there is so much to teach you"

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 **Alright there it is ch 1 done**

 **so id love some feedback!**

 **PS. I know it is a lore leap and yes I know in the books Smaug or any dragon for that matter doesn't have magic, but hey let's live a little and for the sake of this fiction lets say that he did**


	2. Chapter 2

so got around to a second chapter

just easing into it trying to decide who she is now as I'm going so it might be a bit choppy

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Time passed, and Smaug watched the girl grow, teaching her all he knew from languages to breathing the hottest of fire, even how to fly short distances. But fifty years had passed since he created her, and though Sunal did not age much passed her mid 20's, her body went through its own changes violent some of them were as she got accustomed to changing her appearance back and forth to varying degrees. She could appear to be fully human if she wanted to, well as human as she could, one would see something off about her; her skin was far to perfect and her eyes always had a red or gold glint to the hazel color they took when she was in that form. Every year that passed her strength grew and she itched to leave the cave, though Smaug told her that was her human side, and usually she was in agreement it was her human side that prevented her from being as large as a dragon as Smaug even though he assured her she would grow. But he softened to the idea that if she did travel that she could bring him more treasures. Most of her time was either spent in her normal form or as a dragon Smaug preferred her large golden form every time she was in it she could see pride in his eyes.

But Smaug grew tired, he had done a great many things and taught her all he felt she would need before he fell into hibernation, for he could no longer stave off his exhaustion. He sent her off to the north from where he had come from, he wanted her to see the world and bring him more treasures, and he knew the more she learned the more powerful she would become. She flew through the sky understanding the burned lands and listening to the whispers in the wind. She would often sit at campfires and listen to the tales of men, she traded with them now and again, and at night stealing a sheep or two to eat. When any attacked her it was their own death they reaped for if they attacked her with vigor she would slash them apart burn their bodies and devour their flesh feeling nothing for the foolish men. But she took up the sword to defend against those who attacked her out of necessity, but mostly because she found it fun to play with them as her strength was vastly superior to theirs. for one thing, she learned walking among men was that they were weak and vulnerable to natures toll, and for some reason, she would herself feel sour if she saw the hungry and very sick, but she never dwelled much on feelings.

Looking for the rare and the beautiful she became a merchant of sorts traveling all over the realms of men cloaked and ever moving she did not like staying very long in the cities of men where she often sold some of the lesser treasures she came across. She found caves of gold and treasures of old hidden in trees and under rivers, and she would always bring the most beautiful back to her father, Smaug, who slept in a deep and solemn slumber.

After she had her fill of men she decided to venture and make deals with the dwarves. They were an interesting and more enjoyable folk than man, their greed was evident on their faces, it was something impossible to hide, especially from a dragon's eyes. But nevertheless, they were a funny bunch, she would often drink with them into a pit and feast with them till dawn. They were also talented crafters and she had herself made a sword with black stones laid throughout the center that would burn when lit. It was not a beautiful work, but dwarven work was solid and made well. She often heard songs of her father and the misty mountain, and though she was never moved they were beautiful songs. There were many who knew people her fathered had killed and it seemed to wound them greatly to think about it, but she never felt particularly bad for them. What did they expect amazing that much gold in one place, in a way they were looking for something to happen. But she acted sympathetically and clapped at their songs and poems of the great halls and vast treasure. She did enjoy some of them for the mountain was her home as well and it was nice to think of it.

Still, she never stayed long in one place, she never cared to make any lasting friendships or memories, she was always moving, she felt the need to move, it all felt new and beautiful. She was always wary that men grew old and died and dwarves with their longer lives would notice something askew with her, so she kept traveling. She enjoyed being on the road or at night flying in the sky, above the clouds where no one would see her. One day Sunal was traveling home along a small road in an empty valley the mountains rose up on either side of her covered in old trees and a large stream ran through the middle of the valley. She sat by it looking into the beautiful clean waters and decided to take a short rest on a large rock by the water, she had been walking for days and rested her feet in the water feeling the silkiness of it as it passed through her toes and closed her eyes just soaking in the sun and listening to nature move around her reminiscing over the fact that it had almost been two decades since she had left the caves.

The day was beginning to give way to evening then she could smell the blood a good while before she saw traces of it in the water, she had been listening to the screams as well, it was an unmistakable sound, orcs. Most likely killing humans. Something she did not care to deal with at that moment as she was still trying to enjoy her breath of relaxation. But the screaming kept going and as the sun was beckoned down and the sky it up with shades of purple and pink Sunal grew annoyed at the noise. She picked herself up and began to move away, if they were not going to leave then she was. But something in her stopped her, she had not met many orcs, and she did not care to met more, as they were rude. She also had a fear of them sensing the fire within her belly, they were also from the north, creatures birthed from the fiery lands of Mordor. But if they were dead they would have no one to tell; and who would they anyway way with saron dead and the ring lost there was no one to call upon her or her father to war. She did not know even if she would fight for Sauron, it was something her father did not care about, he just enjoyed killing dwarves and humans and elves and well everything it was a trait she wishes she had more of in her. Before she realized where her feet had been carrying her she was looking at the small group of orcs and a bloody scene before her.

There were great horses torn to bits in front of her the meat losing its heat and being dirtied more by the flys than the orcs, for they were more interested in the ones they had captured. There were two attached to a dead horse its carcase bleeding over them, then two more dead and lifeless next to them she couldn't tell if they were men or women they were so beaten in she couldn't discern much about them other than they seemed a little odd but it was hard to get a good look as their faces were hung down and they were covered in dirt and blood, and then there was another who the orcs were all leaning over and playing with in the most vulgar of ways cutting into him at od angles and laughing, but she was sure to the man it was the worst torture for his screams were loud and sharp and she could see blood dripping from various slashes and piercings on his body and the orcs were laughing at his screams as they cut into him again.

" _You are being loud_ ," Sunal said in the guttural orcish language, leaning against a nearby tree she pulled out a small knife and began messing with her nails scraping out the dirt and some caked in blood. There were four orcs in total along with a few dead ones lying on the ground, and she saw one more come from behind where he was crouching behind the dead horse resting from a day of butchering woken by a strange voice speaking orkish.

" _A woman!"_ an orc yelled and laughs a snarling laugh, " _How do you speak orc?"_

" _So that I can tell them to be quiet when they are being too loud and ruining my_ mood." Sulna said looking up at the smaller of the orcs, if, no when they attacked she would save him for last, it was always a mistake to save the big ones for last, why fight them when you have less energy fight them when you are strong and hungry for blood.

A bigger orc with bones skewered through his face laughed, " _Bitch thinks just because she can speak a bit of orc that she can order us around_." he pulled out a short sword from his back, " _I think it means that we have another toy to play with_."

" _I was just asking you to be a bit more quiet with you playing, you do not want to fight me orc, you will regret it."_ but before she even finished her sentence the biggest orc pulled his sword and jumped at her. She took a step forward and threw the knife effortlessly into the orcs left eye it went all the way to the hilt the orc then proceded to fall to the ground. Pulling her sword from her side she walked forward crouching low dodging the swing from the second orc, she spun around and sliced his leg off before standing up and blocking a blow from the third. Out of the corner of her eye she could see the smaller orc come at her and she heard a screaming shout, "Behind you!" she grabbed a knife from her belt she pushed back the orc she had blocked and swiftly turned and shoved the knife into the smallest ones neck its blood showering onto her. Tearing the knife out she again spun to the last orc standing, then she was pulled to the ground by the orc whos leg she had just liberated. She could feel her eyes flash and anger boil inside of her. She kicked the orc on the ground in the head multiple times while blocking the other orc who was now attempting to kill her while she was down. She blew a quick small flame to her sword and it lit up like a dry branch startling the orc enough to back a few paces giving her a chance to get up and solve the blade into the back of the head of the orc whos leg she had previously cut off. She then looked toward the last orc who was now flailing and coming towards her fast, Sunal could see he his movements easily he was swinging wildly and as he came for her she sidestepped him and smoothly sunk the blade into his gullet the fire of the blade extinguishing as it went further and further into the being. She pulled the blade out and it was covered in the black blood of the being.

She looked sourly at the blade, frustrated that she would have to clean it a few times in the river and let it dry before she could put it back in its hilt again, otherwise it would rust and dull on her. For now she wiped it on the grass. She looked up to the people who she had just saved and walked over to the ones tied up cutting the rope connecting them to their dead horse. She was not sure what to say gruffly she said, "Too bad they killed your horses they seem like they were fine animals," she said marveling at the beautiful white coats they had. One of the women began to slowly sob into her hands as the other got up. She was surprised to see that the woman was taller than even she, wearing strange clothes and that another surprise, the woman who stood up was a man or at least a very feminine man. He looked shaken either way. He extended his hand to her and she took it gingerly, "thank you." the man said, "We do not have much to thank you with, I am sorry, but we are so grateful that you have saved our lives. What may I call you?"

"Sunal." she said taking her hand away. It was then that she noticed their ears, eyes wider, "You are elves?" she said slightly in awe, she had wandered middle earth for fifty years but this was her first time seeing elves. Smaug had warned her that they were magical creatures, astute in their old age and prideful in their relation to the Valar.

"Yes, we were on our way to our home in Mirkwood, we were on a long trip to visit family when the orcs attacked, we were told this was a safe road…" He looked over to his fallen friends and to the one who was badly injured. The one who had been whimpering now was sitting next to him putting ointment on his wounds and softly speaking to him in elvish. Sunal called out, "You might want to move a bit upstream to where the water has less blood and clean his wounds fist, you do not want to waste your medicine." the woman looked up at me confused and turned to the man i was standing with who spoke some words to her in elvish. Sunal could place a few words elvish was not one of the tongues Smaug knew well, and she had never met elves so she had lost some of the little Smaug knew. The woman nodded and put the medicine away into a bag and gently brushed his hair tears escaping and rolling down her face, her face a bit cleaner Sunal could see how beautiful the elith was.

"She does not speak the common tongue, but she also gives you her thanks, that is her brother and if he survives this he will owe you his life as well." the elf said moving over to the man

Sunal followed "May I ask for your name? I do not know what is proper etiquette among elves." but the elf was distracted by his friend's plea to aid her in getting her brother to the river, she helped them move the elf to the water's edge where she cut off his shirt and ran water over his wounds. There were many cuts but most were shallow, the orcs from the looks of the other two bodies drew out their fun, he was lucky in a way.

After the elves wounds were cleaned and bandaged he began breathing normally but stayed unconscious again for the best, "My name is Fainion, of Mirkwood." he took in a breath "there will be much sadness when we return It is strange to see orcs in this area, but this forest is told to be the home of many creatures most unsavory." he looked back at the pile of orcs, "I have never seen a blade to that, lit with fire."

"Ah, yes it was a dwarven gift from the iron hills. It was conceived from a bet and much drinking," she said putting the blade in the water and washing off what she could. "I have passed through the Mirkwood many a time in my travels from Dol Guldur to lake town. Though I have never been to the elven city under its branches."

"Well that is not very surprising, after the last great war the forest became sour and dark we moved beneath even the trees, though we still communicate with them often." Fainion said looking back at the bodies of his late friends he continued, "We are still a full day's journey from the city. You are most welcome to join us." She heard the woman whisper something aggressively in elvish that she could not understand to Fainion, he responded tierdly back it sounded as though they were debating something but they were speaking so quickly she could not understand it.

Ignoring it she answered, "No, I need to rest for a while at home, but if possible I would like to stay in your hall to learn of your kind; I have traveled and heard myths about the creatures who taught the trees to talk, I would wish to stay among you for a time and see what is beyond the veil of your people." she knew that it was a risk but if she felt any elf was getting curious as to who she was she would leave, it was as simple as that. But she needed to go back to the mountain, she needed to rest. Every few years without her realizing it she would drift towards the direction of the mountain to put gifts next to her father and dive in the gold and sleep in the most peaceful of rests that only the mountain and its gold could provide.

Fainion went quiet for a bit and stared at the water, she studied his features and could understand how the woman of Gondor thought so highly of their looks though soft they had wonderful bone structure arching brows that hovered against sparkling eyes and high cheekbones, if he was to wash his face she was sure that she would see perfect skin. "I do not know if you could even find Eryn Galen, it is guarded and the woods themselves are often dangerous to strangers walking among them. We are a closed off people our King, Thranduil, sees it best that way, you would have to appeal to him if you wished to stay long."

"Ah i see," Sunal said standing, "Well then, do you need help with your dead, we can cover them in stone or bury them, but I have no tools for that."

"Thank you but a party of our own will be here soon, they were supposed to meet us a while back I am sure they are searching for us now." Fanion said elegantly getting up, "and again we are ever grateful." he put his hand to his chest and made a small bow towards her, a kind gesture of thanks. She nodded and grabbed her two knives went on her way back down the path she came off towards the Misty Mountains. No more needed to be exchanged an interesting encounter nonetheless she was glad she had killed the orcs instead of reasoning with them, she got to see something interesting from it. After her rest she would find the city of elves they seemed an interesting bunch and they lived so long that they would likely not see her lack of change through the passage as secluded they were from the world.

A day or so later she made her way to the end of the Mirkwood and looked down to Laketownetown barely lit in the night, the smelly town had a few flickering lights but the night was fully nestled in. Dropping her clothed she shifted and broke her body shifting to her winged form, picked up her treasures again with her large claw she flew silently through the night to the mountain where she normally did. She dove into the gold lettinging its coolness surround her and lull her to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Ok so been a while... trying to get back into this soo many things to do so little time**

 **PS...**

 **if anyone would like to beta for this story, please let me know through DM it would really help with getting more chapters out with fewer mistakes :)**

 **as an added bonus you get to be the first to read it and see future plot lines**

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Sunal was drifting in darkness, she could feel the cool tingle of the gold around her as her mind drifted into seemingly endless darkness, like warm silk flowing through her as she let her body relax lulling her deeper in. Meer moments could be years in this state, which was the reason Smaug did not want her to stay here long. The moment she entered he could feel her presence and reached out to her radiating heat in pulses that she followed. When she reached him she greeted him with her own energy warming the area and adding a dull glow to the expanse only reflecting half of Smaug's face.

"Sunal, my daughter has returned." his voice warmed her heart and made the light grow brighter.

"Father I missed you. I brought you gifts from my travels." Sunal placed her head on his pulling forth images then filing the expanse with them. Lost dwarven caves, paths not walked in hundreds of years stones and gems in rivers, giant ents lifting branches revealing hidden treasures never recovered. Golden staffs and orbs sparkling in the sun designs some delicate and detailed others crude and rough, all races and Valar represented. She pulled to her mind the fires and mines of dwarves in different cities, crafting and singing songs of gold and her father's destruction of their homeland, prompting him to give a huff of a laugh. Finally flooding his mind with sun rises over the misty mountains and over the great plains of men, high above the clouds as the sun set the clouds afire with gold and red deepening into deeper hues of purple before the colors died on the horizon. The whirlwind of memories, the best of her years out of the mountain slowed and eventually came to a stop.

"You have done much child. And seen many things, that even I never knew existed. I am honored by your gifts. How seeing those Dwarves squirm about running in different directions was most entertaining."

"Many are nomadic now…." Sunal mused floating to her back midway next to her father's head. " They just can't get over the golden fever, as if they ever could. They don't even have an army, that would be willing to take back the mountain. There are those that drunkenly say they will take it back one day, yet they would have to come great distances only to face us." Sunal let out a chuckle, "they are funny folk."

"And smelly, Sunal I could smell you even from inside the mountain. You stink of human too. You have spent... much time among them."

Sunal arched her back indulging in the lulling silk of darkness pulling out just enough to whisper an answer "Some are nice, some are not, some areas you remember, others have advanced or fallen. All that I can say has not changed is, they grow old and die as quickly as the birds and bears, their lives are not long but they have a cyclical rhythm to them in the small towns the families grow old and die then their children have children and grow old and die to do the same things over and over with little variation. It is a hard life, but they keep living like weeds in a garden continuously persistent to live however they can."

Smaug's eye followed her flowing form watching her. She had so much more growing to do. She was still so young herself to talk of life so easily; what would the gods think of her, did they know of her existence? Would she be tied to Morgoth or Sauron, she was so young and weak compared to the Great fire drakes of the First age, Glaurung the father of dragons, the great worm, would he have even approve of this? But then would he have ever thought that he would be defeated. The Deceiver he greatly remembered his shadow both physically and intellectually. He felt the gold surrounding his body releasing him from pestering thoughts of the past, calling him back to his slumber. Pulling up he let a breath of fire engulfing his daughter to arouse her from her lull. "Wake child! I am tired, and you are still too young to rest here go pursue more power grow and prosper, kill and enjoy all you can."

Sunal lifted her body stretching in every direction pulling the silky feeling taunt in her body like mussels until she relaxed, now awake and as though she was under a great lake of silk sensations flowing around her body every crevice tempting her to let it in. "Father I will go to the elves for a while, I wish to see how the most beloved creation of the Valar live."

Smaug shifted his head closer to his daughter, "The elves are generally weak, but there are those who possess the power and experience to kill you. Our kind may live forever, but we are not completely immortal. Do not forget the fates of the great Firedrakes before us. I would like to think that I did not leave you blind to your faults, I am the last of the Great Dragons and the elves are part of the reason for that. They are loved by the most powerful of the Valar." He looked off into the distance as he reminisced in the old stories, "So that the Elves could be the first upon this earth they froze the dwarves into the stone and rock of the mountains simply for waking before their precious long-eared creations." Then he noticed the faintest of smells on her the smallest trace of the spoken creatures. "Do not be blinded by them Sunal, you are still young. They are as cunning as they are pompously keen."

Sunal raised her chin to her father closing her eyes, she remembered her lessons, the long histories, and personalities of the Great Fire drakes. Glaurung, Ancalagon, the oldest of the Great worms before they could even take to the skies. "I know I am young," she said cracking her neck to the side and rolling it down, "I simply wish to observe them, they will think of me only as a pathetic human. They will only be skeptical of the human, not the dragon, and for all they know you, father, are the last. I will be a simple trader looking at the wonders of the elven world holding goods from all over. I just need something tempting enough to keep their attention as a human."

Smaug closed his eyes, breathing out some steam, "Take a few of these Sunal." an image appearing in the smoke, "In ancient days the elves had dealings with the dwarves, they never ended well. The elves accused the Dwarves of stealing their treasure. It is only fair to say that the dwarves gave a different account, and claimed they only took what was owed to them, for the elf-king had bargained with them to shape his raw gold and silver, and had afterward refused to give them their pay. If the elf-kings have a weakness it was for treasure, especially for silver and white gems; and though their hoard was rich, they are ever eager for more, since these kings have not yet as great a treasure as other elf-lords of old. I know their nature rarely changes over their long lives, they are ever patient to take back what they think belongs to them."

"I believe I know what gems you are speaking of, they shine bright, with a cold white glow about each gem." Leaning back into her father, "Then I will take a few of these to the elves in the Mirkwood. I will say got them from the deep rivers of Dale, I remember how you told me the story of you burning the city to the ground, the people did not return there. Its remnants stand empty and stripped of all value." Enjoying the searing warmth of her father's skin she leaned into him, feeling the warmth of the same fire that dwelled in each of their bodies grow and pulse with power. She had only just returned and now she could feel her father's impatiens grow with her the longer her presence kept him awake. It was easier to leave the first time, the excitement of something new overwhelmed any sense of foreboding or loneliness she felt at the time, especially since her father had been resting longer and longer over her last years in the Mountain before she left she was starved for entertainment. She knew the Last of the Great Fire Drakes wanted to go back into a deep slumber surrounded by his hallowed gold. "So then I take my leave father," she said pulling herself from her father. "I will return with more treasure to show you when I a-"

Smaug, in a huff, interrupted with his eyes still closed, "You may return when you have grown to at least half my size. Sunal. Remember what you are not what you pretend to be you are not human, or elf, or dwarf, you are Daughter of Smaug."

"Yes father," Sunal replied collecting herself and lifting out of the gold doing her best to ignore the pull it had on her body and mind to go back in. Her body felt so heavy and constrained her skin felt tight her neck cracked out and it grew the pain flooded her body as golden scales ripped through her skin and cooled against the air. Her body grew outwards as her tail unraveled from her back ripping the way for her winge to grow through. She was now the height of some of the trees that lined the edges of the forest, imposing yet not the height of some of the ancient trees in the oldest of forests in Middle earth. Stretching out her spine from neck to tail she spread her wings also reflecting the gold from beneath her with edges so thin it looks as though you were looking through sheer gold-colored silk. And with that she rose high among the large pillars weaving and diving among them, like when she was younger, she dove down to a lower level of the cave making her way to another large room with mounds of gold and gems on the top a white light shown moving closer she saw the white diamonds. Sunal grasped a small claw full of the diamonds and flew back to where she knew to leave grasping the rest of her belongings and leaving the gifts to her father lying around on various piles. Looking back one last time she thought she Samug move his tail, before with a powerful push of her wings jolted towards the exit that could only be entered or exited by a skilled flyer who knew the way. She blew out a gust of fire illuminating the path ahead, for as she was exiting the mountain there was no light. A rush of pungent air rushed into her as she reached outside. The stench of lakeLaketownching the skies even this far up the mountainside.

She could see the dull lights of the town a few more than usual as the sky was clouded over. She glided among the cover of the clouds only dipping to the spot where she left her traveling bag grasping it with one of her claws as she moved towards the town of Dale landing in the private garden of what must, at one time, had been a large maner. She had stayed in Dale once or twice when she truly had missed the Mountain and the push of her father. A flash of golden fiery eyes so like her own appeared in front of her, but as her father had taught her, she remembered resting and waiting and as time passed and sunset and sunrise melded together then she rose and went back to the woods to find something new again other than the dulling colors of the misty mountain.

She reached a large room, the marble grey walls were dusted with dirt and soot. She took in a large breath of air and heating and holding it she blue a hot red flame scorching the cool ground beneath her into a red and black surface suitable for her to sleep. Wrapping her tail around her she rested until the sun rose and she would venture forth again, this time towards Mirkwood and the Elves that lived there.

Yet sleep was not easily achieved, waves of memories invaded her mind the coolness of the gold called to her, it wouldn't let her rest. She knew there would be nights like this, and that they would persist for a long time. The gold in the mountain was calling to her to rest in its cool embrace to sleep and enjoy its comforts. She nestles her large head further into herself as if the motion would push the feeling away. Every time she would get to the edge of sleep a memory that annoyed her or a moment she detested from her travels invaded her mind shaking her head to get it out or repositioning herself to no avail. She could feel the shift from night to early morning as the mist rested on her form. The sky was still dark when she made the decision to get further from the mountain she collected herself warming her skin as the mist and dew sizzled around her into steam. She straightened her neck and opened her wings into the air.

She flew till the sun began to bring light to the horizon and the shadows of the forest ahead of her grew long almost as though they were reaching for her, waiting for her arrival. She landed in the shadows of the tree, letting out a pained hiss as she reverted to her more human looking form, her scaled receding into muscle as raw golden skin pulled over hot flesh steaming where the seams met. Resting her hand on a nearby tree she took slow breaths of the fresh morning air far from the stench of any town or village. With every breath, she took in she adjusted back into her form becoming more aware of how short her limbs were now how tiny she felt among the large trees, how her skin felt like it could breathe on its own in the open air. Her hair fell in golden waves down her back and she ran her other hand through it as some of it had fallen over her face, it felt like tiny burning strings in between her fingers and sparks left her hand and she pulled her fingers through it. Taking in a large breath she pushed off the tree to stand straight up on her own focusing on staying on her two feet she walked to her belonging dropping to the ground she rifled through for something at least somewhat clean. She came across a plane large green tunic with two slits on either side of it. She threw it over her body glade that it was not as itchy as she was expecting it to be. Taking out a pair of rough looking brown pants she part way put them on before deciding that she didn't enjoy the feeling of them on her new skin. She did though grab some thin leather boots that came halfway up her caf.

Steadily getting up she grabbed her things picking up the diamonds and putting them into a pouch deeply hidden in the folds of her bag, and she began making her way into the woods. The beginning of the woods were bright with dew as the sun lit the forest, but the further in she went the darker it got as the trees grew taller and their roots large and gnarled. The more she climbed and maneuvered the faster she readjusted to her form. She idly wondered how long she had been in the Mountain as she wandered through the woods looking for the oldest of the trees occasionally stopping to climb and see what direction she wanted to go. Often the ents moved in patterns and she thought she might find one in the next week or two if she was lucky. She was not worried of any of the animals in the forest she still had the scent of a dragon on her so many prey and predators kept a far distance from her, even the birds flew in different directions from her leaving her to the walk in silence.

As days went by her hunger slowly grew as most large prey still kept a fair distance. But even she could feel her sent slowly dissipate as her skin became less sensitive, calluses growing back over her hands with every evening practice with her sword and a fine film of dirt and mud from small bog-like areas seemed to enter her skin. Finally growing tired of prey wondering near her she decided that it was time to go for a little hunt of her own. Grabbing two knives from her bag she found a small clearing and put her bag under the roots of a large dead tree. Inhaling briefly she proceeded to scorch a long black streak on the dead tree, smoke billowed from the marking she left on it. She knew not to harm many of the trees in the forest permanently if it got back to the ents that she had defiled or killed some of their saplings of one of their old friends she would never be able to rely on them for information on different travelers entering their wood or the best paths to take. She took off her tunic the green had grown dull with dust and some mud splattered along a part of the bottom edge. She closed her eyes and crouched down feeling the pain of bone and scale growing under the surface, because of the lack of food she had in the last few weeks the pain was amplified as fat and muscle was converted into her growing golden wings and gold melded over her back. Coughing for a moment as the process ended she grabbed the worn out pair of pants she had thrown back in her belonging and put them on, her body now back and accustomed to the dirt and grime of travel. Propelling herself into the air she pushed herself into the canopy where she put her nose to work.

There was a small family of bears a mother and her two half-grown cubs were walking along the floor of the forest also seemingly looking for their next meal. Spreading her wings out she propelled herself directly towards the mother tucking her wings in to cover her as she rushed through limbs and other foliage before spreading them wide again 20 feet above the bear while simultaneously aiming a thick stream of fire at the mother bear cooking her to a crisp before she even had a chance to sense her presence. The two little cubs cried out in shock as they saw their mother light up in flames, landing on the mother Sunal grabbed the mother with her arms as the flames died down, she looked at the cubs and without so much as a blink, she screamed a warning at them to leave. One of the cubs stood and let out a yelp at her before looking back to its sibling and hurriedly ran into the forest disappearing into the folds and dips of the roots.

Grabbing the neck of the beast with her teeth she slowly lifted the smoldering corpse into the air. It brought a small smile to her face imagining some of the dwarves and their pudgy bearded terrified faces if they were to see her now with her wings and puny human frame holding a bear, larger than her current body, between her teeth like it was a turkey leg. Turning she headed back to where she left her belongings following the smell of freshly burnt wood it was easy to find even among the smell of burning fur and flesh. Resting the animal on the ground she placed her hand on the crusted hot flesh and tore out a large portion of the burnt meat, hot blood and fat dripped down her face and arm as it flowed from the beast. Enjoying her catch she feasted for hours occasionally gnawing on the bones and sucking out the marrow her body burning the meat as soon as it entered her system enjoying her meal so much she paid little heed to her wings melting into her. Instead focusing on filling the pit inside her; she stored a lot of the food, seemingly going nowhere in her human form, as she could still had the hunger and stomach she did whilst in dragon form, this was nothing as the sun went down and the forests temperature got a bit colder she had picked and gnawed her way through the majority of the carcase her hunger was curbed and she was ready to rest for the evening hoping the meal would push her body to rest.

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 **Ok so let me know what you think**

 **or if you have any questions about Sunal as a creature I Wrote a whole character and elemental description for her to keep her from getting too OP**


	4. Chapter 4

**Well now this is rare, two chapters in a week, I hope that quality does not go down**

 **so I have an idea of where my story is going now, but Sunal is still forming as a character so we are all on that journey together**

 **And again still looking for someone to beta if there is anyone you suggest or if you would like to do it please DM me :)**

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She went like this for a few days, hunting and climbing trees in the mornings and evenings following the patterns of the trees until she reached an old ent who spent many years at a time sleeping. She went to the nearest creek she had passed in the last day and rinsed the blood and caked bits of soot and dirt off her body listening to the birds who had resumed their chirping around her, as she did her pants laid drying them on a rock before she put them back on. She carefully made her way to the ent, she found him, his face sunken in, his eyes almost... almost unseeable covered with large back moss and wispy webs, and his once separate legs fused into one as though at one point he was once two separate trees that grew into one bark and limbs twisting around his body, on his face moss grew from up his leg and over his mouth like an oversized design on his body that melted into his large eyebrows. She was a few feet from the old tree and she could hear its eyes crackling open as bark broke and libs rustled. There was a quiet moment as the tree looked at her slowly opening its mouth to speak.

Sunal was used to the slow manner in which the ents whatever they had to say was worth waiting for, or at least deserving of respect. The ents were the keepers of all the forests in middle earth. They were some of the first creatures the Valar brought into existence here, not their parents or their ancestors but the trees themselves, it was rare to come across a sapling that had learned to or was willing to speak. The ent she had met in previous trips through the woods accredited the elves for their ability to speak, some even pointed to it as the moment they began to think and were no longer basic creatures.

As the ent began to speak low and gravely his voice was like it was grumbling from the earth itself and she pondered whether or not it was truly the elves that were responsible for the ents ability to communicate thought. "I...do not….. get many …. Humans here…" he took long strained breaths between every few words, " especially females… and even less…. Of them… on their own… why are you so badly dressed… child of man?"

Looking down at her bare upper half she nodded, in brief understanding before pulling her old tattered tunic from her bag throwing it over herself, with a glint in her eye she met the dark holes that were the ents eyes and replied " I am simply a traveler, I was invited to meet the elves of Mirkwood." she also took this time to gather her hair into a twist before throwing it down her back. "These woods though cover a large expanse and the elves are very closed off from the world. You are the protector of these woods great ent, could you aid me by directing me in the area I might encounter them as I do not own a map of these woods?"

The ent did not move for quite a time and for a moment or two she believed that he may had gone back to rest as she was going to take a step further towards him he began, "So you… young thing…. Search….. for …. The elves…. Of these woods."

She knew this could be a long conversation, so she responded before he started his next thought, "Yes," a few more moments passed by again, " you are calm… perhaps … have you met…... our kind…. Before… that is uncommon… for most children of men… if you are…. Indeed a child of man…." a long silence passed as she knew now he was waiting for a response, yet she chose to ignore the last statement, the ents perceived little things in creatures, it was their jobs to protect the forest from orcs and other creatures of Morgoth, though she was unsure if she even counted herself among those creatures.

"I was honored to meet the ent Fladrif also known by the name of Skinbark, he resides in the Fanghorn Forest beneath the southeastern flank of the Misty Mountains, the woods named after the oldest of your kind Fanghorn, also known as treebeard to those who speak the common tongue. I do not know if he is still there but he used to reside on the slopes to the west of Isengard. He guided me to some abandoned caves along the mountainside and warned me that the forests were still guarded."

There was another great pause. Sunal remembered conversations took a long amount of time with the ents, everything moves at a different pace than other creatures for the ents they were the creation of Yavanna the queen of the Valar, lover of all things that grew from the earth. She always imagined Yavanna as the most beautiful of the Valar she loved the image she had created of her. Long flowing brown hair sparkling green eyes, with curves matching the relaxing flow if the hills of Arnor, tastefully covered by her thoughts were interrupted as the ent began to speak, "My…. name is….. Known as Roothrough…. I have been a part….. of these forests for… ages… yet…. not as long as…. Fanghorn." a joke, that was a good sign Sunal thought or was it just a statement, it was hard to tell. "After the last war the elves of Mirkwood went below the trees…... and now make their home in the roots of the forest…... They protect their area with a watchful eye…..., though they are aloof…... they do not entertain creatures in their part of the wood… when you are there…. They will find you… head towards the river… when the sun sets follow its path…... You will come across the path of spiders…. They are not poisonous … but they are large and not safe…. Especially for a lone human…... woman…... travel down the river… around the spiders. It should be a few day walk… now young one, " she could see the large bark over his eyes begin to hang low, " I am here…. The elves are far….. Go now….." She looked over her shoulder the sun was low but not yet setting. She looked back to see Roothrough eyes closed and parts settling into his body once again until he looked more tree than ent.

She bowed her head and moved in the direction the ent had told her, of course, it took her less time than the ent thought it would, she reached the river by the time the sky was turning and the forest became dark. She could see small beautifully weaved webs beginning to pop up around the area, hanging over limbs and between trees large and small. She looked at the river and then back at the darkening forest ahead she thought that there was no real danger and ventured on into the darkening wood. As she moved forward she felt the fine hairs on her arms prickle. She could smell the creatures behind the trees, it was not the fear of killing them that gave her pause, but the fact that they only watched as she went further in, their numbers growing as well as their size. As the sun was gone and the forest was shrouded in darkness and the must of night filled the air.

Stopping in her tracks she mused for a moment, what was the point of making camp here, she knew she already had a hard time sleeping. She would for a while yet, till her thoughts of home and gold let her be. The feeling of being watched, no matter the treat, was not a feeling that she particularly enjoyed. Looking back the way she came she turned and headed back towards the river. Shaking her head she chastised herself for feeling a bit like a coward, even though she knew that the spider's themselves wouldn't be a problem. The aftermath, on the other hand, would be, if she got overpowered in her human form she would not shy away from setting the little side dishes to flame, but it could lead to questions if there was any investigation to where she came from. She didn't know what she would do, it was her nature to burn anything in her path to the ground, but if she started a fire in the middle of the Mirkwood not only would it seem suspicious, but it would also anger the shepherds of the forests.

Stomping on the ground harder than she had before in frustration she reached the river again vexed that she had waisted her own time by not simply making camp earlier, she knew she didn't want to take the chance of shifting in any way, just on the off chance she missed something. It was so easy to become overconfident and miss the littlest of things, she knew if there was any fault with her father that would be it. She smiled wistfully thinking of him as she put her things down along a large root. Her father had warned her that the elves were keen and that they kept a watchful eye over their forest.

Cold she laid herself down on the ground, she was used to resting on the ground. She rested on her back looking up at the dark canopy above, each blink becoming slower and slower till her eyes rested as well. There was the calming trickling of the small stream she was near and hoped that it would be enough to still her mind. Yet, no matter what she did her mind jumped restlessly from one thing to another not able to stay as still as her body was. She missed the coolness of the gold on her skin and the void it let her fall into, followed by the silk of sweet sleep it promised.

Quickly opening her eyes in an attempt to shake the longing she blinked hard trying to shift her state of thought. Only a few more weeks of this she internally pleaded with herself. As a tactic she closed her eyes trying to recall the last time she had laughed, there were many things she had found funny, few moments where she had truly and joyously laughed, the kind of laugh that erupted from the belly and made the entire body clench to the point in which it felt sore the next day. She remembered entering an old tavern it was in some human trading post outside one of the dwarven villages. She didn't know they were celebrating, but she grabbed some mead and sat in the corner watching as the Dwarves drank most of the men under the table, playing drinking games, and having little fights over the simplest of things. At one point the drunken attendants took turns either telling old poems or drinking stories atop the main table as the others sloshed around adding to the tales of supposed glorious adventures.

Yet even trying to find repose in happy memories did not ease her mind for long, sleep only came that night in brief and sour moments until finally, she could feel the change in the air that comes only when morning was approaching. Getting up she could feel her body ache from lack of sleep. Rolling her neck she felt it crack in several places before grabbing her bag and trekking on her way.

She could feel the ever constant state of spiders on her growing more and more in number the further in she trekked, and her once chirping birds also ceased again. Grabbing her sword from her side she drew it holding it by her side as she walked using it to cut through branches and webs. She felt a tingle on her shoulder and made a decision not to look up, she could feel their stares and did not want to tempt them to descend on her. She heard no birds in this area of the forest and it felt darker and more condensed than normal. She grinned a toothy grin as she could hear the rustling around her. She propelled herself to the top of a large six-foot tall root above the ground. Not wasting a moment she then pushed forward at a startlingly fast pace that would be impossible for any man.

She heard more frantic rustling as she moved forward she came across brown and black spiders some the sizes of dogs others the size of small horses here and there they came out of the trees and shadows descending into her path. Cutting through them with ease she spared herself the energy of any long drawn out fight that would risk a herd of them gathering around her. Landing on the ground running she used her feet into the wet earth moving forward still, she could see ahead another spider lowering ahead of her, then a second and a third next to it. Jumping to a tree near her, she grabbed one of the branches swinging herself up and onto it and jumping higher to another branch on a further tree now higher than the lowering spiders. They started climbing back up their own strands of webbing.

Looking at their trajectory she held her sword tight as jumped down cutting the strands of two of the spiders she then sliced the third halfway down its head killing it quickly. She had missed one of the spiders grabbing hold of a nearby web and it cut her leg deeply as she fell to the earth. Hissing at the pain she could feel the steam from her flesh on the air trying to heal itself angry she landed a few feet from where the other spider had both now injured she looked back to the spider that had cut her in the trees quickly some others descending others crawling towards her with a small army of black and brown spiders of various sizes. "You are one lucky creature." she whispered up at it, then looking at the injured spider in front of her she said "but you not so much." she could see a few of its legs had been broken in the fall, it charges at her and she rolled to the side missing its attack and plunged her sword into its backside as it passed her. The creature retired in pain, and not missing a beat Sunal sliced clean through the rest of the creature its innards falling to the ground as it screeched in pain.

Not caring to waste any more time she began moving again towards the end of the spider territory, she was growing weaker she could feel the pain in her leg grow with every pounding step she took. Even with the pain, she did not stop moving, it would have to take a lot more than a damned spider to bring her down as she fell one after the other that came into her path. She noticed the number of webs quickly decreasing as the forest also grew much lighter as well as the pressure of the many watchful eyes of the spiders stopped as they also realized she was no longer in their reach.

The smell of the woods was cleaner or at least not as stale as it had been the way here it vibrated with life. She could hear the birds again as well as other animals. Much slowing her destructive pace she paced herself to a brisk walk before slowing down to rest on a fallen tree Placing her sword on the mossy grass on. She reached into her satchel to grab her goats sack of water and after taking a slug of it she heated it in her mouth so that it was boiling and spat it onto her injured leg cleaning out bits of dirt, spider debris from it, and washing the blood from it momentarily. It only cut about an inch into her calf and it ran not more than a small daggers length across her. Opening and closing it with her hand she observed the wound, before deciding it had to be stitched, as blood filled the wound again and began streaming down her leg. Cursing quietly to herself she searched her bag and at the bottom found an old hood and some fishing string. She put the hook in her mouth holding the end of it and puffed her cheeks out with fire holding it for a few moments letting the hook heat up before she let the steam roll from her nose and mouth. She pulled out the hook from her mouth looking at the redness of the metal, she put the string through the section she had held in her fingers tying a small knot at the end.

Looking to her side she grabbed a branch from the fallen tree breaking it off she bit down on it hard as she looked down and inhaling sharply she plunged the hook into her leg. Steam leaving the wound as trickles of blood ran down her leg. The stitches were far from even, but as she finished the last stitch and tied it off there were only small traces of the blood streaming down her leg at the bottom of her foot there was now a substantial pool of blood. Spitting the branch from her mouth she took a large breath of air into her slowly letting it out. As she grabbed her bag again she grabbed an old pair of trousers and began ripping them into bandaging with her teeth. After she had a fair amount she grabbed some more water running it over the wound again hissing as some of it seeped into the stitches and the rest ran the blood off the wound, she then tightly wrapped her leg tying it snugly at the end.

After leaning back, on one hand, she looked at her leg, relaxing into the presence of the forest. Closing her eyes she noticed a quiet presence coming closer to her, she could barely hear them. Their smell was almost indistinguishable from the forest itself… almost. She closed her eyes and as she felt them approach she heard them draw their bows and as she opened her eyes she held up her arms as they almost appeared from the trees themselves. Five-eleven men with long brown and raven hair, three in front of her with bows and two to the back of her.

"Greetings Elves of Mirkwood," she raised an eyebrow as she looked at the elves around her, their faces were unmoving, eyes unyielding, and their features were sharp. "I mean no harm to these woods or your people. I was actually invented here by," she paused trying to remember the elf's name she met in the valley snapping her fingers. The two elves behind her moved forward, one taking her belongings and the other patting her down for other weapons taking one dagger from her boot. She groaned before the name came to her, "Ah! Yes, Fainion…that was his name?" she tried as she saw one of the elves not to the other. One of the elves in the middle looked her over assessing before asking coldly if there were any more accompanying her through this part of the woods. Replying in the negative the one elf nodded to his compatriot behind her and a bag was thrust over her head, and she could feel them tie a slim rope around her hands as they were pulled behind her back.

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 **So what do you think? Comment Below! I would love to know. and constructive criticism is always welcome!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Ok so here we are moving more at a steady pace now, its reading a little choppy on my end but I really want to try and push into the story so I can get to the fun stuff**

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She could feel the light grip behind her and listened to the elves speaking to each other as she was guided through the forest. She eventually felt her feet on a path created by more than just deer. The bag was removed. The light was so bright to her eyes, that at first, she had to hold them closed before blinking furiously till they became adjusted. What she saw before her was truly exquisite, a long bridge loomed over a raging river leading to a tall overarching entrance. It was inscribed with what she presumed was elvish carvings and designs. The area seemed to glow in the late afternoon light bathing the area and the elves in a golden hue. Looking forward and with a little more scrutiny she saw a slightly more familiar face at the center of the bridge. She felt a slight push at her back as she began to walk towards the Elf she recognized. "Fanion, I could barely recognize you without all the blood."

The Elf's crisp white hair stood out from those around him as he moved towards her motioning to one of the elves behind her she could feel her hands be freed. "Sunal," he said bowing ever so slightly with his hand to his heart, "It is my pleasure to welcome you to the halls of my countrymen." he stood, "Please forgive the guards if they were rough in handling you. We have had more orcs than usual come this way." motioning for her to follow him she moved to his side walking together into the halls of Mirkwood.

"No, no, no don't pay too much mind to it. I am simply pleased I was able to find the Woodland Realm." Sunal responded, eyeing each of the elves to see if she could find her bag, not seeing it she looked up at the glowing elf "What would be a great help is if you could tell them to give me back my bag."

Fanion looking down at her as they entered the halls, "The elf brought your belongings to my family home, where you shall stay during your time in these halls, I have sponsored your visit. This is the reason why you are being forgone the usual search." he said tilting his head. "We are headed there now as I am sure you are much weary from your travels."

"Ah I see, many thanks for that." she mused looking around the area, it was not as open with large columns like some of the Dwarven halls had been. Instead of holding up the expense of a mountain, winding roots gave way to arching doors and great staircases leading to many levels where lights hung seemingly from nothing, pathways that seemed to fade into more twisted roots a golden hue seemed to float through the air that made her feel at ease. As they made their way to Fanion's abode she told him of her journey through the forest. She answered how she was able to find them in the great Mirkwood, by telling him of her meeting with the Ent Rootthrough. He seemed truly surprised by this, which pleased her "It is rare for a son of man to meet an Ent in their lifetime, it is unheard of for them to meet two you must have boundless luck on your side." Fanion gestured her through a door letting her pass through first.

As she entered she notices there was now a roof and stairs instead of a giant expanse, the hallways led into beautiful rooms with beautiful brown haired elves rushing about. She noticed an auburn haired elith coming towards her. She had a face that seemed kinder her features seemed a tad less sharp than the rest. She slowed in front of them briefly curtsying "Heru," she greeted Fanion before rising and turning to Sunal.

"Greetings, my name is Doronien. I will serve you during your stay, if there is anything you wish to know please allow me to answer any question you may have." Doronien looked into Sunal's eyes, calmly observing "You have the most beautiful eyes young one, they were blessed with such life." Sunal had an uneasy twinge in her stomach, she did not like the way this woman tried to look into her, she glanced up at Fanion

A small smile graced his face as he bowed his head to her, "I leave you in her capable hands." and he took his leave walking with such grace that she was sure she must have looked like a clomping animal next to him. She looked back at Doronien, who had what seemed a molded smile on her face, a beautiful statue of a wistful friend. "I had a bath drawn for you and I also have some herbs for your leg, young nathal." She said moving down the long halls Sunal looked at the beautiful walls lined with statues and beautiful carvings depicting elegant fights and stories from the elves traveling, making their final journey to the undying lands. Eventually, they made their way to a closed arched door with a hanging light next to the entrance, opening it inside Sunal marveled at the large bed. It had columns at each corner with sheer fabric flowing down each side, beautiful carpets lined the floor and there were tables and other furniture that seemed to be carved out of the wall with more delicate designs on them. She saw her bag and other weapons neatly put on a dresser to the side of the wall.

Doronien led her to a slimmer door to the side of the room, there was a small billow of steam that flowed out of it when opened. Inside was a small yet again beautiful bath, "I fear that I fully underestimated the craftsmanship of the elves, are all homes as beautiful and ornate as this?" Sunal asked, looking at the steaming bath her skin prickled in excitement.

"No this is a home for Sindar elves, the grey elves. Would you care for assistance in disrobing or washing, I know that those of Gondor tend to wash on their own." Doronien said looking at the dirty clothed and the bandaging on her leg with a pitying look, "I will have a full set of clothes ready for you once you are finished with your bath. As well as some clean dressings for your leg."

Slightly confused at the different distinction of elves she thought she should save her questions till after her bath "You are correct in your assumption, I can disrobe and bath on my own. Thank you for the offer nonetheless." Sunal had never had anyone bath her and other than a hot spring she had never had an indoor bath that was warm.

"As you please young nathal. Then I shall take my leave." Doronien politely bowed her head and moved from the room closing the door behind her. Sunal striped her clothes off of her putting them in a muddied pile in the corner taking a bucket she took a bit of the water in the bath and let it trickle over her washing some of the dirt off before extending her leg into the bath. It was warm far from the heat she could take. Settling in she dipped her head beneath the water, her belly glowing as she let out a slow pulse of heat into the water till it started to boil. Shaking out her hair in the water she lifted her self to a more relaxing position using the cleaning tools provided by the elves. She investigated some of the jars, upon opening they smelled strongly of flowers grown in the forests, others of dew, some of it shimmered in the light. She could understand how the elves looked down on the other creatures of this world. Looking around it was truly like nothing she had ever seen.

She remembered the ruins of some of the dwarven caverns and other fallen cities in Gondor, she was sure that even in their days of glory that they were but nothing compared to this. She slowly cleaned her hair before letting it fall out of the bath as she indulged in washing the rest of her body, week-old mud and dirt had left her in no danger of being discovered, her true smell must by now be fully gone. Once done, she stood in the bath grasping a linen from the side and draping it around her. Existing the steaming room she saw the elith Doronien at the side of her bed.

"I have brought some remedies to prevent infection, " she motioned to the bed "Please rest while I attended to your wounds." Doronien moved around as Sunal slowly slid on to the fluffed bed.

"Only the one, wound that is… um… on my leg." the eleith looked up and nodded moving to remove the now soaked bandages. Observing the stitching for a moment she looked back up at Sunal as she attended to her wound. "It is rare for one to venture into the spiders' domain and return, especially one with no party. Do you have any traveling companions?"

Shifting as she felt the chill of wet herbs meshed against her wound she replied, " I do not often travel with companions, I may follow a traveling group or traders from one area to another if I do not know the way. I often find that being with company often has more of a strenuous feel." she remembered soaring over large fields feeling the sun on her wings, something she could not readily do in the company of others. Though she also thought back to all the bands she had at one time or another joined, and all of the lively campfires and stories they would tell over large treks through the wilderness, "When I am with a group of other travelers they are joyous moments, but I find those moments are better preserved in memory instead of growing tired of them in reality. And I do enjoy the solitude, with it comes a quiet serenity." Sunal looked down as Doronien was wrapping clean white gauze around her leg. Sitting up she asked, "I remember you mentioning that this is a home for Sindar elves, are you not all Sindarin?"

Doronien sat up and with a chuckle replied, "No, the Sindar are the Grey Elves, descendants of the Eldar, some of the first and eldest of the Children of Ilúvatar, and considered to be the fairest and wisest of any race of Arda given sapience. They are the elves that chose to remain in Beleriand and not complete the Great Journey. They are called "grey" because they are not Elves of the Light, never having set foot in Valinor, but neither are they Avari, called the Unwilling, since they did accept the invitation and set out on the journey across the sea. Therefore, the Sindar, though counted among the Eldar they do not hold that name. Most elves that dwell in these halls are Avari dwellers of the forest not as blessed by the Vallar. Therefore the Sindar are regarded as kings and the wiser beings in this land above other elves. Out King Thranduil is also Sindarin."

Sunal sat for a moment absorbing what she had heard and acknowledging that though there was a lot of what the elith said that she did not understand, she was beginning to realize that Fanion was the right elf to save, nothing to show she was trying to grasp what the elith said she responded "It seems there is indeed much I do not know of your kind, it is truly fascinating."

Sunal looked up and saw a joyful smile on Doroniens face pleased that her explanation was not lost on deaf ears, "I am happy to tell you the histories and stories of our people, Fanion Heru told me of your wish to learn; and as I am not allowed during this time to teach I was happy to oblige."

"Teach?" Sunal asked, "Yes," she responded, " I am in charge of lessons for many of the young elves here in Mirkwood. Although as I am currently in a time of reflection I am not allowed to teach, or so says our king." Sunal carefully watched the eliths face slowly becoming more readable as she became more accustomed to the features of elves. "But being able to share my knowledge is what brings me joy, passing down stories and histories is a gift, a gift not many elves take the time to instill in the youngest ones or at least in the Greenwoods." Doronien shook her head, "Well young one shall we get you dressed, I have gathered some clothes for you to wear during your time here, and a few options for tomorrow as well."

"Tomorrow?" Sunal asked a brow raised as she lifted herself out the bed, putting pressure on her leg he was surprised that she could barely feel any damage and gave her thanks for that. "I have barely just arrived, I did not realize the elves made plans so quickly."

Dodonies moved towards the large closet in the corner of the room "Just because we have the blessing of time to make decisions at our own pace does not mean that we do not make them, otherwise many would do nothing." She opened the door and a rack of simpering dresses lined the inside. After briefly looking back at Sunal she turned towards the closet, "I think green suits you best, though, I and most Woodland elves are a tad biased to the color. Tonight though I think this is suitable." Dorien pulled a draping silver blue dress from the many options. Putting it on her arm she walked back to Sunal.

"It is rare to see such beautiful fabric, but I am not so certain that it would suit me. As a traveler, there are not many options to wear dresses." Sunal said laying a hand on the fabric even more surprised by its cool and impossibly soft texture, "But there is no time like the present to indulge I suppose." disregarding the cloth that was drying her, and with the aid of Doronien was able to successfully put the garment on. It had many layers of long flowing blue and silver fabric draping this way and that. Once on she could see on each side there were ties so that it could be adjusted to the individual."

"It is fortunate that I brought one of these garments." she said turning to tighten the loose strings, "Your frame is much more… well-formed than most elves. I shall have to have the garment altered for tomorrow." Doronien looked up at Sunal with a cheeky smile.

"Only a few moments in the realm of elves and already I am getting comments on my bust." Sunal joked as she had only noticed that the elves were so statuesque that it never occurred to her that they would ever be lacking in any beauty or temperament department, she could tell the elith was trying to simply connect, and she would happily oblige. They proceded to banter a bit on the intricacies of getting through tight spaces and other precarious situations as the elith tied the final strands together. "Now that the dress is on I hope you don't have second thoughts on it not being appropriate?" Sunal jested. The dress, though layered and light, came to a clean collar below her neck.

"Not in the slightest." Doronien said, moving back to the closet and pulling a long dark blue overdress that had silver clampings in the front, as she put it over Sunal and began buckling the silver, it brought her waist more into prominence instead of hidden under the loose silken fabric that slid over her form, "though I must say stronger colors suit you more" Dodonies continued, stepping back nodding at her work."It is a good thing I chose green for you tomorrow. Your meeting is with the Elven-king Thranduil is most important if you wish to stay much longer than a few days. The elves here are never trusting, and that especially applies to our king."

"A meeting with the king so soon? I would have thought there would be more pressing things to be addressed than a lone traveler." Sunal said moving around getting used to the robes given to her.

"There are often meetings about keeping the spiders at bay, as they have grown more restless over these past few summers, and the issues with orcs comes upon us now and again, but this is currently a time of watchful peace. There is no large threat to this land as of yet." she said moving towards Sunal straightening some of the cloths over her arms, "So strangers take some priority." looking down on Sunal she gave a reassuring smile, "Worry not, you have the backing of Fainion, you saved his and another eliths life. We are very grateful for that action of kindness."

Fainion and an elith? She thought there was a third, "I am sorry to hear that the third did not make it." Sunal replied looking back to her bag wondering if it would be inappropriate to ask for a nicer container for her gift.

Taking the action as a look of guilt Doronien comforted her, "No child he simply passed on to make the long journey. He was already hailing his call to the sea, already on a journey here to say his goodbys to old friends in these lands. As was his sister, though she has lingered longer in these halls resting for the final journey."

"I see, well that is good to hear. I was wondering if it would be any trouble for you to acquire for me a simple wooden box about the size of a small lantern. My gift for the king is only in a small leather bag and I am afraid it is not grand enough." Sunal said changing the conversation and moving to her bag rummaging through she found the pouch, it was enough for two of her hands and attached it to the side of her overdress, quite odd looking on the beautiful fabric.

"Yes, I would be happy to find one suitable after dinner, if you would come with me, as a meal has been prepared," Doronien said gesturing towards the door. They moved through the halls Sunal doing her best to remember the differing paths as best she could. They came to a comfortable large room that spread into a balcony, a large oaken table sat in the middle with what looked like a bountiful feast with many vegetables and different colored foods she had never seen. Fainion sat at the opposite side of the room standing when Sunal walked in. "Please have a seat there is much to discuss." he gestured to a seat at the table. And Doronien backed out closing the door.

They had a lively conversation she told him of her travels through the different forest in middle earth, carefully weaving around any hint or illusion that might bring unnecessary questions. Fainion spoke to her of the adventures he had gone on in the Second age and how he was quite past any need to do so again. As the meal drew to a close the old elf sat back in his chair his hands rested in his lap and he looked carefully at Sunal, who only gave a strained questioning smile back before Fainion began speaking again, "Tomorrow there is a meeting with the King Thranduil, he is a good king here under the Greenwood. He is, as I am sure you have already heard, also untrusting of outsiders like yourself. You say you have a family, what makes you want to travel great and perilous distances alone to be in the company of elves, it can not be simply because we have entranced you?"

Sunal opened and closed her mouth thinking for a moment before speaking and grabbing a slug of sweet wine, "No, I have my father, that is true, and he is the only family I know. But he is getting up in years now and tired, he sleeps most of the time, resting in total complacency to the rest of the world. I am not needed by his side, I am simply his legacy." Sunal looked down into the glass of red, the best fabrications are mostly true she thought, "His legacy cannot live on if I am simply sitting by his side doing nothing." Holding on to the glass she stood from her chair and moved to the Balcony. "To be honest I was always curious about your kind. There are hints of your people all over Middle Earth. Whittled into almost every story and fable, and I was content with thinking of going west and growing stronger and learn about life there, but then I happened upon you and your unfortunate circumstances. Which by the by," she said turning back to look at Fainion, "I thought all elves were supposed to be skilled fighters, a few orcs should not have been too troublesome to you."

The elf lifted his arms outwards, but not fully, after holding them halfway out for a while Sunal could see this strained his body. As he lowered his arms he explained, "At one point, yes, I was a skilled fighter with the bow and sword, but over years of fighting I suffered one too many injuries. I took a crucial wound to my back a foolish sacrificial defense. The healer's even, at that time, thought it would be a critical wound, and that if I ever recovered that I would never walk again." He stood from his chair walking to her, "time can heal many wounds, and though I have healed far beyond any thought possible I will never be what I once was. It is simply a matter of accepting what you can do in this life and what you can not. Though I might not be able to fight as I once was I am able to sharpen my mind and be of help to this kingdom in those areas."

"I am sorry, to have brought to surface unpleasant memories for you," Sunal said, roughly thinking of a way to change the conversation.

"Think not of it. I see on your side you carry a pouch. It is a gift for his majesty? I am curious as to know what you thought would be befitting Thranduil the king of Mirkwood." Fanion sat back down noticing her un-comfort. "I am happy to host you in my halls during the duration of your stay, and the reasoning you told me is sufficient... for me. Tomorrow when you meet with his highness you should also focus on how 'when you saw hints of elves throughout the realms of men' that we seemed ever so much more intelligent. Flattery to him will make you seem untrustworthy, but add a little bit more if you truly want to learn about our kind. Be specific and clean spoken. I will be in the hall as your patron, but not by your side. You aided me in my time of need, the least I can do is sponsor you during the duration of your time here. You should also know that while the king does not care much for ceremonial decorum, he takes great pride in being respected as most rulers do. Be respectful and humble, remember that you are a human in the presence of Thranduil, son of Oropher, the Elven King who rules over the Woodland Realm.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi so hope all of you will enjoy this new chapter**

 **because we will soon get into more of the story I am going to put in the years for every chapter/section**

 **If anyone is interested, timeline wise, this is around whereThrain, Thorin Oakensheilds father goes to investigate the lonely mountain - pre-HobbitT.A.**

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 **T.A. 2840**

The next day had come with a quiet stillness to the air. She was used to being underground, so when night and morning came she enjoyed the subtle changes they made, the smell of roots and leaves seemed to permeate more through her room as morning descended into the halls. When it was night, she notices many of the lights grow dimmer and some went out completely, as morning came about there were streams of light that filtered in from above and many of the lights began to light seemingly by themselves, returning with renewed brightness. Was it some kind of magic? She wanted to watch one of those lights as it went out and back on, it perplexed her, they didn't give off heat so they weren't fire, so then what were they. She watched all of this from a large window in her room that overlooked crossing pathways and other buildings going deeper into the ground. She had truly attempted to sleep, the bed was comfortable and it was a wonderful change of pace from the ground. Yet, again, restful sleep would not come. After trying for what felt like a sufficient amount of time she simply got up and watched the movement of the elves at night.

There was actually quite more movement than she had expected. There were the guards moving in what she assumed were their nightly patterns, and she supposed there were a few more she didn't see watching her. As elves did not need much sleep themselves there was more bustle than she had anticipated. She still had a hard time telling apart the men from the women especially from a distance, both often had long flowing hair and impeccable features, but she was doing her best to get used to their beauty; it was no wonder these were the favorite creatures of the Valar. She rested her head on the window ledge, thinking how nice it must be to know exactly where one's' place is in middle earth, and what they tasted like.

Her stomach grumbled with the thought as she began pondering whether they would taste more like pig or something even lighter definitely not as tough as dwarf or orc, she heard Doronien come in she stood to greet her, feeling all the joints in her body unlock from being in the same position for hours. And after going through a few pleasantries, inquiring to sleep and other meaningless things, she had water brought in to clean her face. "I assume again that no aid is required?" Sunal let out a chuckle and declined washing her face as Doronien moved to the door opening it as another elith brought in a small tray of food, "then as you eat I shall retrieve your clothes for the day." Sunal rinsed her face in the waters again rubbing fine smelling oils and soaps on her skin and hair enjoying the soothing sents, looking down at the food it was mostly comprised of greenery and berries. She remembered at dinner that there was not much meat there either, and after picking at it chewing of a few leaves and wondering when she would be able to get a real meal when Doronien came back in, a green dress hanging over her arm. Happy to stop eating leaves Sunal began disrobing, "So you were able to get the dress altered with no problems?"

"It is quite easy to get little things like this done. We have many experienced tailors, and most know enough about sewing to fix a shirt or two." Doronien told her as she separated a few of the layers. Pulling on a soft brown linen dress underneath, Sunal then adjusted for Doronien to pull over her a dark forest green dress that hugged her body perfectly. There were comfortable slits on either side that went up to her mid-thigh that would have been quite revealing except for the brown underdress. As Sunal smoothed down the dress she sat down at a near table and began brushing her hair back and down forgoing her usual braid and letting it dry loose tumbling curls. Doronien joined her at the table in her hands a fine wooden box the size of a small loaf of bread, "I hope this will do", and placing it in front of Sunal. Enjoying the simple yet beautiful handy work of the box she smiled pulling the pouch from her bag, she looked back up at the elith eyebrow raised, "Would you like to see what it is?". Doronien looked around sheepishly and nodded, and Sunal opened the bag as a white light glowed from within began to stream from its contents. Sunal thoroughly enjoyed the shock on the elliths face as she carefully poured the diamonds into the small box. Sunal could easily see Doronien was mesmerized by the white gems of starlight, and Sunal recognized a brief look of lust after them right before she closed the box.

Breaking her from her trance Doronien's head shot up, "Where did you get those?" Sunal could feel pride swell in her stomach this was indeed the right gift, "The river that divides your kingdom from the great ruins of Dale. It may not be the noblest of jobs, but there is many a sunken boat from when the Great and Powerful Dragon Smaug came to the mountain, dwarves, humans, and even elves sunk. One can find many precious things... if they only know where to look." she said picking up the box carefully watching Doronin's baffled expressions it looked like she wanted to say something, but could not find the right words. Standing Sunal mad her way to the door, looking back at Doronien "I believe it is time to greet you King is it not?"

They made their way to the throne room, or hall as Sunal realized in relative silence Doronien still perplexed and not as talkative. It stood in the center of the whole of the kingdom high above held up by large root culminating into a giant throne of them gnarled almost like giant horns from an elk. Doronien stopped before the platform ushering Sunal forward as she began to step back. As she got closer she saw Fanion and a small group of elves on the edges of the main platform below the throne. She looked to him and he nodded to her as she made her way to the center, holding the small box to her core with both hands. She could see the King was resting facing his back to her, his crown adorned with bright red berries that begin springing up around the beginning of fall from the forest. She could feel a growing numbness in her feet as she waited in silence wondering how long he was going to make her wait before addressing her.

"So.." he hummed, his voice sounding like the deep purr of a bear, yet it was still clear even with his back to her, "I hear you were able to kill a small group of orcs that had defeated my own guards."

" It was simply luck" , humph, no it wasn't, "I am sure that your guards fought bravely, your highness," Sunal responded clearly, keeping her voice level.

"Bravery has no place when it can avail nothing," Thranduil said turning towards her, his eyes coldly analyzing her, and Sunal was struck by their clarity, and his stunning regal features, "You have done a great deed and for that I thank you," he briefly tilted his head in gratitude and a few long strands of hair gliding down, "My dear friend Fanion has informed me that as a reward you wish to stay in this kingdom to learn…" he angled his head and brows raised in scepticism, "but we are not generally of the kind to... play host, especially to the children of men."

Pausing for a moment Sunal took in a stable breath, this was entirely different from any noble she had met before, Thradrial was a king, she now understood that, and more importantly, he knew it. He commanded the space he was in, his voice taking up its expanse, his clothes richly hung off of him as though they were an addition to his majesty. He looked down on her, she could see it in his eyes. If she were younger she might have tried to attack him, but she was not her father. She knew how to get what she wanted with both a clenched fist and pretty words.

"Only those who risk going far will find how rich life can become." she began, "My father was already old when he had me. And for most of my youth, I did not venture far from him. I had so many beautiful ideas in my mind of what the rest of the land would be and I was determined to find the best of it. But after going on my own I realized, the best things are usually hard to obtain. Which is what led me to travel places normal men would not go, searching for the rare and beautiful. But there are things that I can not obtain no matter how hard or far I travel," Sunal kept her voice even watching Thranduil's face trying to read what he was thinking as she continued he proceeded down the stairs to the level she was on with the other elves. " I had already heard tales of elves and their histories. There are hints of your people all over Middle Earth, whittled into almost every story and fable, but I also know that men are born ignorant to some of the finer details of history that Elves pass down. My interest lies in the details of most things, the little fine details." she said slowly raising the box, all eyes now honed in on the small thing, "like how a handful of jewels can make it from a mountain engulfed in flames only to be sunken to the bottom of a river." brought her hand up and opened the box the white light spilling from the box Thranduil's eyes grew large in shock, face highlighted in the white light from the gems. His mouth hung slightly agape before he began muttering in some Elvish.

Fanion rushed forward to her side taking the box from her hands. " _Nato_?" Thranduil asked

" _Ala, Bedheren, ala._ " Fanion's eyes betrayed his still face, they swirled with confusion and a longing sadness, Thranduil, on the other hand, had his shock turn to anger. He raises his arm and the other elves left the area. It was just her Fanion and the king now. Fanion closed the box, "How did you come by these."

"As I told you, there were many who fled the dragon some grabbed what they could before they left only to perish outside the mountain."

"How were you able to get these from the deep recesses of the lake." Fanion continued the king's face slowly returning to indifference, but she knew what lay underneath, it felt like she was poking at some beautiful cat. "Tie a rope and dive, though I never found any more of these diamonds," the lies flowed seamlessly off of her tongue, "Dwarves are greedy it was not difficult to find many treasures forgotten in that area."

"You stole from the dead?" Thranduil measured his words carefully

"The dead have no use for treasure."

"They deserve respect." Fanion said in a confused ruffle.

"I did not disrespect the dead, I never harmed any remains, most of which had been taken by the currents long before I had gotten there." Sunal explained calmly, "I think you may have confused my intentions."

"How so?" Thranduil began walking slowly in a circle around her.

"I never meant any disrespect, I simply find things along my adventures. If a man is traveling and finds treasure in a cave, is he robbing the man who had abandoned it? A bird who creates a nest from fallen twigs disgracing the tree? No, it is simply making use of what it has found."

"A bird making his nest is as different to robbing graves as a river is to the great expanse of the ocean," Thranduil said moving to Fanion to take the box

"Is the river salty?" as soon as the words came from her mouth she regretted them, a blank look crossed both of their faces, before a smile grew over Fanions and he began to chuckle, "You certainly are an interesting girl." he looked back at Thranduil whose face was still, looking down at her with judging eyes, "Come now, Thranduil, it is a fine gift."

Thranduil turned walking past her his rich clothes flowing behind him, "You will join the guard while you are here with your 'studies'. But… if we find that you are a thief that steals from the living as well as the dead… then no matter the gift… you will be punished according to the laws of this land. My laws."

Fanion placed a hand on Sunals shoulder guiding her from the throne, "Are there any other great treasures that you have snuck into your bag? It is best you tell me now." Sunal shook her head, "Well only a few that I brought with me, but no more of those diamonds if that is what you were asking.

He took a slow breath of air, "Is the river salty? Was that truly the only retort you could think of?"

"I never said I was a wordsmith." Sunal had definitely said enough, possibly too much, but he really got under her skin. She felt itchy with the urgency to do something, fly. No, she couldn't do that no matter how irritated she was fighting instinct would make things worse and was not the answer here. She needed to calm down, but she was just so hungry. Her thoughts were bouncing around in her head so loudly that she could barely register Fanion.

"There are things that I must take care of today, but I am sure Doronien can help you find a starting place for your academic interest." and with that, he went out of sight into the rootlike hallways, and Doronien appeared from another hallway by her side.

0-8-8-8-8-8-0

Thranduil sat at the head of a great table, eyes fixated on the small box in front of him. "I can hear you. There is no point to hiding in hallways, it is a bad habit."

"Well for centuries you were the one who used to hide here, watching your father from nooks in these halls." An elith stepped out of the hall cream hair tied in intricate knots, "I warned you there was something strange about that human…"

"She is indeed strange…. There is something irregular about her." Sunals golden eyes flashed in his mind, for a moment he thought they looked like they were on fire

"Fanion will not admit it, but I clearly heard her that day… she knows the language of orcs….. What kind of human knows that language?"

"Some Easterlings did", he said running his hand over the box

"She is no Easterling Thranduil, you must see the danger in that. When she was speaking with Fanion I heard her mention Dol Guldur!"

"Simply that she had been there," Fanion said entered the room going to sit next to Thranduil, "She is obviously some sort of scavenger. Whether she is affiliated with any darker powers has yet to be discerned. You have always been a perceptive one, Lodriel, but you have become so distrustful over the years."

"Yes my friend, I am indeed distrustful of those who speak orcish and have been to Dol Guldur." the elith said plainly as she passed around the table eyes moving with each thought she had, "Thranduil, you, of all of us should remember Amon Lanc. For it was you who led the silvan elves here from that place after Sauron took it from us, polluting that place with dark magic and evil intentions for hundreds of years." she turned steadying herself by holding onto a chair, "I was young, yet I remember."

"Sauron is no more." Fanion said his voice low and warning, "We all remember the day his presence left this land."

"His magic is not, his reach is not, his power of corruption is not!" Thranduil raised his hand and Lodriel quieted. "I do not need to hear any more fear mongering from you Lodriel. You spent too much time with Lady Galadriel." he opened the box looking at the diamonds as their light filtered from them. "This is only a fraction of how many there were." he mused hypnotized by their beauty.

"I am sure they are still in the mountain." Fanion said, "that selfish king would have wanted them in the hold of the dragon if only to spite you." Fanion said gazing at the diamonds glow, "Stop this," Fanion pleaded, closing the small box, "My sister would not have wanted this." for the first time Thranduil's eyes left the box turning like daggers at Fanion.

"Do not bring her presence into this," Thranduil warned

"Bedheren, She was your wife, but she was also my sister. And she would have given this woman a chance."

"It is wretched that you would use your sister to that effect Fanion." Lodrieil said closing her eyes. "She was my dear friend as well, we all loved her very much."

"You will both halt this exchange immediately." Thranduil's eyes flashed with anger, and they all sat for a few moments of frozen silence. "I have given her a chance." Thranduil began, "I put her with the guards so that they may observe her, for the same reason you put Doronien with her. Do not think I am ignorant of your actions, she is a kind elith but she is also sharper than most."

"And she has only grown sharper with age. Doronien seems to like Sunal well enough for now." Fanion got up to leave, comfortingly placing his hand on Thranduil's shoulder, "One human will not destroy your kingdom Bedheren."

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Bedheren = brother in law

 **Please comment below! I would really appreciate knowing how you think the story is moving along!**

 **It is a little shorter but there was a lot more conversation in this chapter I hope I wrote it understandably.**

 **constructive criticism is very welcome!**


	7. Chapter 7

**ok, here we are again sorry this has taken forever to write I just have been under mountains of work and even when I want to I just have a hard time finding the time to write so I apologize if this chapter seems a little shorter or choppier than in the past.**

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Sunal had been unnerved by just how uneventful the past few weeks had been, there were few who tried her patience, and she had access to everything she needed, but the severe lack of protein and the ever-present heat of eyes on her added to any uneasiness she felt. She was not used to being watched like this, the humans didn't care and the Dwarves only cared that they had not only a person to spar with, but also a new competitive drinker among them. Doronien had procured books and scrolls for teaching and learning elvish, and though she was a good teacher, she missed her father's lessons, and it reminded her of home. She often ending lessons short and with a feeling of unsatisfied no matter how much they covered. She thought that the training grounds would be more entertaining than they were, there seemed to be different tiers of fighters and training. There were those who trained for fighting in the armies and guarding the kingdom. Then there were those who were the king's guard and trained with nobles and other younger highborn elves who had some of the best training in the lands, or so they had told her. This was where she was. It was not the fighting itself that left her unsatisfied, in fact, that part was astounding to her, the way they glided in the air feet barely touching the ground and their precision, was like none she had ever seen before. The grace with which they move was wonderful to watch and interesting to fight, well at first.

What she did know was that she was being watched more at the training grounds. Not to say she was not also being watched when she was studying or resting, now and then she would notice the same guard make around under her window, but time after time she would feel the stare of a colder eye on the training grounds. She always saw him out of the corner of her eye, his presence to grand to ever be truly hidden. She did not want to look directly at the guards or their king, though they probably already knew that she was aware of them. She didn't want to give them more of a reason to follow her, more than she already had.

Most of the elves had heard of the conversation she had had with their king, it did not lead to a peaceful transition into life daily life under the roots of the Greenwood and making connections was difficult when friendships were based on time and shared experiences. Her presence had offended the majority of the elves, and she had not even met many. It lead to a lot of slow days, she had to say the beauty of it all was growing dull with the lack of interaction. She missed the aggressiveness of the dwarves and their social structure of drinking until you pass out fighting to figure out the social ladder, making crude jokes to offset any tension. None of the social skills she had learned from humans or dwarves applied here and it made her desperately angry.

Which brought her back to the training grounds. She enjoyed the art of the fighting style the elves were using, but it was putting her into a more frustrated state at times to restrain her strength. She could not hit with too much force and she could not fight to her strengths. It felt more like art to her, or dancing and her body simply wanted to attack and not learn the steps. Refocusing her style was time-consuming and laborious with hurdles from muscle memory to grappling with different weapons, her heavy dwarven sword to devastating to use in any elven fight. She would have enjoyed twisting their smirking face if she was not certain that she would come under question for it. The lighter elven weapons were long and thin. Much too light to be durable, was what she initially thought, though she eventually found that their design led them to be used for long-term combat.

Doronien had shown her to the blacksmiths, and she was in shock, the streamlined forms coming out of the fire were not like any dwarven blades she had seen, some glowed others sung with each hammer, but again the smiths themselves were not what she was expecting, classically beautiful and holding a grace that she would never have imagined crafting smiths like this to have.

As weeks went by she could feel her body getting more and more accustomed to the rootlike halls and their grand designs and the warmth of the underground system so different from the damp chill of the caves she had half expected to follow her around. One thing she had noticed more and more was the ever lingering gaze of a certain elf she had foolishly spoken out to. She began to notice his presence more and more, even when the guards followed her, he would appear near the training grounds or above her on one of the balconies while she was studying, more often than not she couldn't place where he was, she simply could feel his cold eyes on her.

She did not once acknowledge his presence, she convinced herself it was the safest option. After her initial encounter with him Sunal believed it was best to keep any interaction to a minimum, he obviously did not trust her and she was not going to push her luck in trying his patience. She had heard stories of his impatience and that he, more than others elves from any other realms, found himself drawn to anger faster, but any rumor or whisper was always adjourned with great respect. The elves here acknowledged and respected their king and his flaws, they truly held him in a category of its own. Which was even more of a reason to keep her distance, the elves do not forget things easily, and most still based their perceptions of her off of her rudeness to their king. She was not looked upon with favor, to say the least. A few of the young elves she had seen scurrying around would up to her now and again, but mostly to meet a 'human' and not to truly speak with her. Doronien would speak with her at lessons, but even those were becoming more sporadic throughout the weeks.

Sunal was noticing she was getting a tad stir crazy, and though she was doing her best not to let these elves at the training grounds push her too far with their high born superiority complexes, whispering to one another as though she could not hear them or understand their elvish. Yes, the past weeks have certainly perturbed her, she looked down to the sword she was given from the armory, its sleek form almost glowing in the warm lights. She tried to focus on memorizing the carvings in it than listen to the tittle-tattle of the self-glorifying elves. It was something she realized many of them did, it was not uncommon among the humans as well, or the dwarves, but there was something that irked her about how consumed the elves were with their own superiority, that truly made her want to distort it.

"She has such a vulgar fighting style." one brunette elf mused to another,

"Strong though."

"Well didn't you hear not only is she human but she learned a lot of techniques from the dwarves."

"Well then that explains the fighting style." the other said snickering

"Do you think she will stay here much longer, it is a waste to teach her anything especially someone so young who will probably die before she can even apply her knowledge."

"Humans do live very short lives don't they."

"I still do not know when it became acceptable to allow them into this kingdom." one of them let out an annoyed sigh.

Sunal could feel herself tensing, she did her best to control her face and not show that she could understand them as they kept prattling on. She focused more on the new sword on her lap and she carefully wiped it down shining it and making sure that it stayed in perfect condition. She wished she could reprimand them, she wanted to, or at least fight them, but she had to keep reminding herself that they were probably much older than her. These were not children of men that she could put in their place and not have to worry about the repercussions or dwarves who would at least enjoy her spunk. It was stifling, having to hold herself back all the time.

And there was another problem she was having that no amount of fighting was helping; Sunal never thought of herself as a great beauty, but among the dwarves and humans she could at least be assured of getting a second look and a good lay. But here, everything was so beautiful but also so pure, she wasn't even sure if elves had sex, and she was beginning to believe the rumors the dwarves told her, that elves were born from the trees because they were too prudish to fornicate, and above actually enjoy pleasure.

Sunal, on the other hand, was not, it was easy to bed men they were simple and their lives were so short that she could almost feel the urgency of their want to fully enjoy what time they had. She had only ever bed a few dwarves, and even though she had found the experience more fun than pleasurable it was still better than none at all. Maybe they were all just too old and the appeal of copulation had long passed them by, but Sunal had a hard time believing that. She decided that she would ask Doronien at their next lesson. Holding her sword up she admired her work as she could see a glimpse of her morphed face eyes darker than they normally were with frustration and hunger, she briefly wondered if this type of hunger was remnants of the human in her or the animal to rut, but then she couldn't recall any stories of dragons being borne in middle earth only created or birthed from the magic of the Valar.

" _What kind of human ever traveled alone like this she is a trader, not a ranger."_ the elves continued prattling on, as she tried to turn her mind away from it.

 _"Perhaps there are not a lot of other humans who wanted to be in her company,_ perhaps she was some sort of deviant." the last one let his elvish bleed into the common tongue. He was taunting her. She cracked her neck trying to relieve some of the tension that had been building in it.

She wanted to find it funny, and some days she did, but today, there was just something about today that irked her. She just was in a foul mood, she felt stuck, and there was an ache in her that manifested in more ways than one. It was the kind of feeling when the whole of her body trembled in anticipation like it needed to thrash and lash out, the kind she usually indulged in. She could not do that, she should have some restraint by now. Sunal reminded her self that she was no child, that she could control her emotions. She kept doing so as the two males continued in their slandering, and as others in the arena clearly became uncomfortable, a thick unsettling heat filled the room.

She could tell herself that she would not let her emotions get the better of her, and she had done her best to hold them in, but her anger was heating the room and she could feel her skin tickle with the static of her vexation. She really had been so upstanding, really if she thought about it she had been irreproachable, and other than a brief slip or two of the tongue she had been truly an exemplary visitor. It was really such a shame.

 **-80808-**

Thranduil sat again at the head of a large conference table as he waited for Fanion to arrive for their meeting, he looked down at the carvings on the table and he elegantly followed the designs with his fingers slowly feeling the dips and curves of the intricate designs. There was something about this human that had been putting him on edge since their meeting. It was beyond the gift she brought, and beyond her less than plausible story, there was something familiar in the air around her. Something in her eyes that he simply could not place. There were few things that he could not place in this world and yet not one of them had bothered him in the same way her eyes had. It pestered him as though it was a word on the tip of his tongue, a thought that he could not develop enough to take flight, stuck in the nest refusing leap towards something. He thought that if he observed her he might find that missing piece, anything to connect the dots. But so far the only thing that had come to light was from Fanion. Apparently, the only truly odd thing that Doronien had noticed was that the temperature of the girls bath water was hotter when she got out than when she got in. For a while, after she tested the water for magic or anything of that sort, yet nothing. He was sure there was something there, he just could not figure out what it was, something in her eyes they flashed in his mind, big dark hazel eyes alive with gold and green. He closed his eyes and craned his neck back then forward again trying to place them, they were so alive so, so, his hand went into a fist as he slammed it to the table opening his eyes now simmering with the rage of frustration.

"I have not seen you so vexed since the time you discovered Legolas had been hunting on his own." Fanion said gracefully entering the room.

"No new information. I supposed as much since you are so attentive to my disposition Fanion." Thranduil said going back to tracing the lines elegantly on the table.

Fanion raised a brow, "No... nothing, as you presumed. Doronien's lesions with her go smoothly, and she seems to be able to understand more and more of our language every day. Uncommonly bright for a human."

"Uncommon, yes, that is a word I could associate with that human." Lodrieil said not far behind Fanion. "Look at what she is doing to us, disrupting the order of things here, we should send her on her way. She is surrounded by oddities and strange auras that none of us have answers to. And Fanion you simply wish to observe her? I fail to see the point in that." Lodrieil gracefully sat at the table a few seats from Thranduil, and Fanion kept standing, just looking out the large window.

"You are always so keen to push away things you do not understand, _Malo_." Fanion said with a slight chuckle.

"And you are too keen to pull that which you do not understand closer, that eagerness has led to danger one too many times." Lodrieil hunched her over placing her hand over her eyes and face, painful memories flooding in as her nerves grew frantic and cold, "So many dangers plague this world. And here you are seeking more, long after you know you should have moved on" her voice lower and vibrating through the room.

Fanion turned to her sympathy in his eyes with a deep sadness bubbling underneath, "I know you wished to return to the undying lands with your brother _malo_ , but that does not mean that you must linger in this land that you so desperately wish to leave. All of us can see that you have been ready for the long journey for some time."

"How can I? When you host a snake in our halls." she sternly whispered almost tired of arguing her point, feeling that her words were falling on deaf ears she got back up turning to Thranduil, "I know you can sense it, there is a power in that human. I have seen your eye on her every few days, there is something that we can not place about her, do not be drawn in by it." she paused to emphasize her point and as though an afterthought she mused, "At least she is staying away from most of the other elves."

"That is only because of you, do not think we are not unaccustomed to your lingering whispers in the air by now." Fanion keenly smiled as she walked passed him.

Thranduil interjected, "Let us not get into more pettiness now shall we."

"Pettiness? There is no point in having these meetings, Thranduil. Even when something odd is seen about her it is either gone in an instant or dismissed by Fanion. If only I had the talent of Lady Galadriel." she took a great breath in trying to quell her frustrations, "I shall take my leave, these days seem so much longer than they used to." and with those final whispers, Lodrieil flowed from the room.

Fanion waited a moment for Lodrieil to leave giving her a courteous bow before he turned towards Thranduil, "You are so quiet my old friend."

"Were you not also contemplating the great journey back over the great sea? Was that not the reason for your travels to retrieve Lodrieil and her brother?"

"Plans change."

"The call to the sea does not change, its pull is ever stronger on all of us, it is simply a matter of how much strength we have left to fight it."

"And here you are, my King, the pillar of strength to all in your woodland realm…. Please, I have known you too long, you still have much fight left in you. You may have tried to sever your love for battle and adventure after Legolas was born and … and.. we both know that her death did not quench that thirst wither Thranduil."

"Must you bring her up every moment you want something from me? Fanion I know she was your sister, but she was my wife."

"And I see now you use my own words against me," Fanion let out a chuckle, "Have you truly been keeping your eye on Sunal?"

Thranduil stopped tracing the carvings on the table slowly bringing his hand back to his lap reclining in the regal position he was so known for. "She troubles me." his face revealing the frustration of his hours of trying to fit pieces together about her. It was as though he was working with puzzle yet none of the pieces fit together.

"She troubles you?" Fanion said incredulously, "Thranduil as much as I enjoy her presence, I would truly tell you if there was something you needed to be troubled over." Fannion sat himself down near Thranduil, "What about the human girl troubles you?"

Thranduil arched his head up so that he had the angle to look down his nose at Fanion as he was accustomed to when he felt half-truths were being told to him, "Do not lie to me, there is something in her eyes Fanion, something old there. I recognize it from long ago... I simply cannot tell what it is."

"Perhaps she is a descendant of the riders or some distant kin of an old house, these humans live and die and reproduce so quickly; it would be hard to try and place her. I did notice her eyes were unusually bright for a human but she is trying to gather an understanding for this place, and I have seen a spark in others with a hunger for more than most humans look for. She has not tried to be disruptive, in fact, I am nonplussed by how quiet she has become after her initial arrival." Fanion chuckled enjoying the memory of her first few days, she was so quiet, yet bright and sharp a combination that made him wistful of his own passion for learning "not that she was particularly loud before, just young…. It could be that it is that youthful spirit that attracted your attention?"

Thranduil's eyes were cold, could it be that this was some sort of joke to Fanion? He was not some idle thinker like Lord Elrond, who often spent years studying the same subject, he had seen what dangers lurked in middle earth, and defended it form more enemies than he could count. Fanion used to be, just as…. almost as eager as he had been to be on the battlefield. Time and loss had taken a lot of the bite from him, but none of his brains, and he was used to relying on him as an advisor. But, her eyes, there was something in them, he could feel his muscles tense when he was around her as though he needed to be prepared for something.

Fanion, what was he thinking, his old friend had clearly faded in the last few years. Was his judgment clouded by the fact that she was a new element here, a mystery he felt he could watch unfold, or just something to break the monotony he so clearly felt, that spurred his need to leave? The call was hard to resist, the urge to go to the sea, to go to the undying lands. He was torn, there was something off with this girl; he was put on edge with the idea that an unknown was in his kingdom, but he was also grateful to see a spark of interest back in his old friend. Peace, it was good for a kingdom, giving time to grow and prepare for the inevitable next battle, no matter how mundane it may be. Sunal's eyes flashed again before him sending an uneasy chill up his spine.

There was a feeling in the air. His eyes flashed as he promptly stood, moving with an elegant swiftness. There was an urgency in his step yet his elegant demeanor and billowing robes only made him seem more ethereal at his quickened pace. He could tell that Fanion had not felt the change in the air, for if he had he would have followed his king. There were more important things to dwell on though other than his old friends assumptions. His mind was focused, trained in on the source of where he felt the disturbance in his land, the training grounds.

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 **What did you think please let me know! I really thrive off of support and constructive criticism!**

 **Note: I will most likely come through an edit this chapter in the future, I'm not a fan of it, it feels choppy to me and in need of organization that I just do not want to do at this time :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**OK...**

So I am going to start this chapter with a **trigger warning:** there are instances of fighting and semi-violent sexual activities in this chapter. I ratted this story M for a reason.

 **if you do not want to read any sexual material: I will put a ** where you should stop reading, you can stop and wait for the next chapter, my overall story will/may not be affected if you do not know the dirty bits, that just how I write**

 **I hope that all of you enjoy this chapter, I think the less I say the better.**

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 **The End of Sanity**

Sunal stood from where she was seated. The air was heavy. With what, many of the elves could not tell, they were sensitive creatures and the shift in the atmosphere of their home was a completely unexpected and unnerving experience. Subcontiencly most of the elves backed from the training grounds, movements slow yet as delicate as leaves falling to the ground. The two elves that had been previously prattling proceeded to postpone their babbling. They looked stiff and taken aback as they began to notice the shift in the air as well as the direction of the source. Quickly they began to take notice of the situation they were in, now more alone on the grounds than they were before with Sunal taking slow heavy steps towards them.

" _Though I was not expecting the highest quality of hospitality when I first arrived_." she began in elvish, " _I was pleasantly surprised by the grace at which Lord Fanion accepted my presence in his home."_ The two elves drew their swords as Sunal paused halfway to them, leaving a few yards between them as she continued. " _Though I have been able to see the grace that dwells in these halls and in most elves, it seems that you two, time and time again have proven not only to have the manners of dwarfs, hidden behind a pretty facade, but also the terrible gossiping capabilities of farmhouse chickens."_ She could sense how uncomfortable the elves were, the ones on the sidelines unsure of what to do, and the two in front of her getting ready for a fight. "Do you know what the farmer does when he gets tired of a few chickens," she licked her lips wondering what the soft flesh of an elf would taste like, would it taste like the land they fed off of or would it be like the taste of a pig?

She could see the two elves in front of her grow back their bravado shaking off their initial surprise. "So then, are you some kind of farmer? A fitting job for an ox woman like yourself. You have been here for weeks, months even yet you still lack the basic social graces that are befitting of these halls."

"And this is coming from those who gossip in plain sight, as though they were doing something of importance?" her voice low and bouncing in the air, "If I was a farmer I would remind you that any seeds you plant you will eventually reap come harvest, so one must be wary of planting either too much or too little. Too little and there will not be enough to survive the winter, too much and the farmer will be overwhelmed unable to handle the burden of his own crop. There is always a balance to actions taken." Sunal shifted into a fighting position holding her sword up to the two elves looking down at her. She felt the hole in her pit widen with anticipation as her stomach clenched in excitement.

So what kind of harvest will I reap then? She felt her eyes heat at the idea of biting into them, then she immediately bit her lip sucking the blood from it. She had to hold back, hold back the line. She could not let herself go too far, not here, not yet.

The first to launch at her came down with a strike from above, she met it with her blade easily pushing it to the side, proceeding to punch him straight in the jaw immediately putting him on the ground. The second took a more wise approach moving back and forth trying to get any strike he could against her defense. His footwork was a classic elven style that she had seen throughout her time here, and done better. Getting tired of defending the weak onslaught, she went on the attack. They had called her style more dwarven, and when it came to bludgeoning she would say they were probably were right, but she had been working hard on her speed and agility since training among them. It had been hard at first, but she enjoyed the feeling in her muscles of tearing and healing to get them to be how she wanted them to be. She leaped in towards him then spun on her foot for the extra momentum and thrust her sword down on his. The clash echoed in the grounds and from the side of her eye she could see the other one she had hit getting up and making a dash towards her side.

Planting her right foot and bending she used her agility to push herself into the air effectively spinning overtop the incoming attacker but getting some distance from the other as well. The two now both more wary, gave each other a look and decided a more unified approach was indeed needed. They came from either side of her she dodged one and blocked the other bending to the ground she threw dirt and dust into the one on her right, he yelped and fell a few paces back clutching his face.

The one she blocked tried to overwhelm her with strength, or at least that was what she assumed he was doing. Initially, they were all welding single-handed but he now gripped with both hands firm trying with all his might to make her blade budge. And though it shivered in place a bit, there was nothing he could to inflict any damage or make her back down. She smirked as she took her free arm and grabbed the man's collar pulling it closer to his own blade as he struggled to make gargled breathing grunts of effort to fight her hold, edging closer and closer to his own blade.

He was just a few inches from the blade when she could feel the other elf behind her. She released the hold she had on his collar and diverted the elf's blade from her to his friend. Seeing this, the elf bounced back, narrowly avoiding stabbing his own friend in the gut. Sunal moved to try and flank the elf that had gotten up, a small smile playing on her lips. She came around kicking in the back of his leg and the elf once again fell to the ground. As he turned back to look at her as she took the but of her sword and harshly brought it down onto his face, clearly breaking his nose and knocking him out, his body limply falling to the ground with a light thud.

She then blocked another attack coming down from the elf that could still move, she let him attack her as she blocked all of his efforts all of the fancy footwork and pointed blows, she was tired of him, the week attacks only adding to her frustration. She thought this would have been a good opportunity to vent and see some blood, taste the freeing feeling of a wonderful fight. But this was so slow and boring, she could feel her breath increasing as she could feel her temper firing up more for every weak attack he thrust at her. Finally, she could feel a crack in her patience the line blurring as she sliced her sword at a fatal angle towards his jugular.

Then all of a sudden there was a firm sword stopping her a half a moment before her steel met flesh. The elf fell back as his mind was reeling from his very close scrape with death. The elves around her she had noticed looked tenser, yet relieved, and as she looked up she knew why. Steel grey eyes looked down at her, she held his gaze as one of his brows went up at the dark heat that was in her bight orbs. She broke the stare realizing the Elf that had blocked her sword, was the same one she had worked so hard to stay away from, King Thranduil. There was something in his cold eyes that sent a shiver of realization through her of what she had actually done.

Still pushing against the sword of their king she immediately released and moved back a few paces putting her sword away. She looked around at the high tension in the training arena, a few female elves went over to the one she had knocked out tending to his bloodied face. The adrenaline in her system did not fade, she briefly bowed before briskly walking from the arena the King's cold eyes boring into her the whole way.

She knew he had been watching her for a few weeks now, it was impossible to ignore that. She thought this training exercise would be something to still the waters of her frustration, she cursed internally as she weaved in between the narrow corridors, these elves were certainly more hot-tempered than she had thought, with their pride and grandiose self-worth over all other creatures. She just may have ruined everything, not even a year, she cursed again out loud. Thranduil, he knew something was awry, she was sure he didn't know what, but after that fight, he definitely knew something was very wrong with her.

She heard him following her through the halls his quiet yet quick pace quickly caught up to her, his footsteps unaccompanied by guards allowed him to move faster unimpeded. By now she was in a remote area of the training grounds; old sparring equipment and other training materials were scattered here and there, some broken others she was sure were simply of no longer use. The lighting was much darker in these sections and she had found them to be a nice reprieve from the constant perfection of the majority of the kingdom. Damn, she had simply wanted to get away, out of sight. Let what had happened to be explained away in his own mind, they would have told him she was pushed to it, that she was defending herself. She just needed to get to Fanion, yes he, he would explain for her; she just did not know how to handle Thranduil. She was not sure what she could do in this state her body was still on fire her frustration and anger not unfettered in the slightest from her fight. She had no control here, what she needed was self restraint, so that she could turn this situation into something she could influence, something she could control or she would set everything ablaze.

"I command you to stop!" she heard him ordering her; not a mere moment had she stopped that her wrist was grabbed and with a great force she was jerked against the wall followed by her other hand being grabbed and now Sunal stood their breathing, thinking, and pinned to the wall looking up at the king. She could see he was breathing heavily as well and though his features were only subtly irritated She could see a wonderful biting anger under his eyes.

She could work with that, elves were not men, she knew that most elves could not be persuaded by earthly taunts, or so she had been told. Men she knew, inside and out, she had had her fill, and enjoyed the pleasures that came from both sides of control. One thing she had also learned, very well, was that if there was one emotion that could be the most easily manipulated it was anger, a blinding anger, something she could fan, something she could divert into something else.

"Why did you do that" His voice was trembling and deep, she could tell that he was holding back more than he wanted, just a little more coal I'll add to the fire. It could go bad quickly, but if anyone was going to get burned it would not be her, and with that thought, she inhaled unable to formulate another plan she moved forward with her first. She pushed one leg forward brushing against his as he shoved her tighter to the wall looking for answers. ''So the great Green Woods King is not as wise as he seems, I know you have watched me at the training grounds, you hear what they say."

"Watch your tongue human," he spat out at her, "Why!" She pushed her body against his in defiance making sure that she slid one of her legs between his, smirking up at him with sharp wild eyes she whispered, "Why should I watch my tongue around an elf that makes idle threats from a throne, degrading other races to cover up his own personal humiliations at how he can barely control those in his own kingdom." she could feel the heat of anger falling from his body in waves as she looked up to him pushing further into him as she did, she knew she was walking a fine line, she had to push him to the edge of his anger to act irrationally. "Why not instead you do your job, and look over the Mirkwood and leave me out of it." she heatedly whispered, every word led her face a bit closer to his. And at that, Sunal thought to look at his eyes drawing down to his lips, before he began his retort, she took the moment to act, forcefully bringing her face to his for a forceful kiss, out of more a shocked response he volleyed back with an equaled ferocity leaning lower and tilting his head before pushing her head again flush against the wall, hitting the dirt wall with a painful thud before he separated.

Suddenly she could see the shift in his eyes, confusion, and anger still flaming in there. Her core tightened with excitement, like fire, dark fire, the torment began burning inside him. Thranduil was becoming more and more aware of her body pressed against his. Elves did not do this, he told it to himself but his mind was so clouded so hot all he could feel was her, anger was flooding his system, he had never experienced this kind of overwhelmingness since the last great war, his body felt as though it was on fire.

 ****** Sunal seeing this took the upper hand, using her strength in his moment of confusion and shock she grabbed his arm and turned him so that they switched places in a moment. He wasn't resisting when she pushed him hard against the wall. She kicked the leg that was in between his to the side knocking him off his balance so that she could push him to his knees holding his arms now more above his head she could look straight into his eyes for the first time. Again she placed her leg between his pushing his back against the wall knocking the breath from his lungs she feverishly clamped down on his mouth again taking the opportunity his gasp afforded her to explore his mouth with her tongue. She began rotating her leg between his robes lifting the heel up and down messaging into his lower thigh she could feel heat begin to grow in his lower appendages. He deepened into her kiss as he let out a soft confused grown, he began to try and battle for dominance as he tried to push back against her.

It was too late though, her hunger had gone unsatisfied for too long and she could not put into complete thoughts what exactly taking the power from him in this meeting was doing to her. She was practically roaring with power that she had been holding in for so long. Any push he made against her sent a powerful yet confusing rush through his body and tightness to his muscles that he had only felt could compare to the tightness of the moment before a battle. Her tongue swirling and massage in motions that though he did not understand sent a sharp shock down below his robes. She could feel him harden beneath her the more she did to him and the more he fought her.

Pushing more strength into her arm she grabbed both of his wrists a feat that she was having trouble doing as they were large and strong. Losing her grip on one of them he pushed his hand to her chest, in an attempt to shove her off, but she used her position to move into it. His hand over her breast he could feel the supple soft flesh underneath the tunic she was wearing, his pushing grew less and less forceful as he began to enjoy the feeling of her under his hand, muddles with the other sensations in his body.

Sunal growled lowly into his mouth and broke from his kiss, she moved down to his neck sucking and biting taking her now free hand and moved it between his robes so that bare flesh could touch flesh. Her hand scraped down him leaving thin lines of red as she grated her nails down his firm and heavily breathing chest, she found his nipple and began massaging it with her thumb as she continued her assault on his neck. "What are you doing" his voice deep and as muddled as his mind, she responded by nipping sharply at his neck and pressing down on his hardening nipple.

Thranduil's mind was unable to process what was happening, he had never been touched like this, his body had never been so sensitive to the physical touch of another as it was right now. Elves were noble, spiritual beings, his anger towards her fueled him even more as he grasped her breast kneading it, trying to get under the fabric too so he could also touch her the way she was touching him, so that he could get back some of the ground he had lost, yet unable to process what or how to do it as her expert hands molded and stimulated him. His thoughts began to leave him less and less as the tightness in his body grew more and more at the onslaught of rousing motions she was making. Below his belt, he felt his sex twitch under its uncomfortable hardness.

She pulled away again to look at the majesty of the man, his robes half falling off and ruffled around him belt holding the majority of the fabric in place, revealing his glowing form sculpted as though the gods had blessed him over others, his breath was ragged and his normally sharp eyes were clouded and confused. He was breathing so fast and so deeply that she thought he might pass out, his grip was weak now. Any motion to push her or take over was replaced by shivers of pleasure and utter confusion as to what to do. She could feel how hard he was with her leg as he twitched under the small about of stimulation she was giving him there. His hand on her breast was moving in weak pulses barely able to hold on to what he was even trying to do. She sent a shiver through him as she flicked her nail sharply over his nipple watching his reaction with pleasure. She felt so aroused by the sight of how far she had made him fall writhing beneath her touch. Her hunger was still strong she took her hand from her chest grasping his face as she brought it to her mouth placing the middle finger in and began sucking in pulses putting the index in with it as she twirled her tongue around the fingers to the base where they connected to his had coating them in her saliva.

As she did this she watched as more and more sense left his eyes, until they began fluttering closed and he started moving his hip against the leg she had planted between his legs. Trying to relieve some of the ever-growing pressure. This time letting go of the other arm she had used to hold him to keep him in place she grasped his shoulder. She was enjoying this so much, she could feel how wet she was by just looking at him and was making her hunger grow to see more.

She moved her now free hand down his chest again enjoying how when she brushed against his hard nipple his whole body clenched under her. She continued her assault down his chest parting his robes the whole way down until his manhood was free from the cloth. He gasped into her as and moved one of his hands to hers as he was shocked by her touch as she grasped his length. She moved her hand up and down a few times teasing what she was doing, she could feel the precum dripping from the tip as his hand was confusingly on hers.

She growled in frustration as she moved her hand from his member, now earning a groan of wanting from his throat. Thranduil was unable to process how or what he was thinking, the loss of control over his body was only second to the about of pleasure he was feeling. His eyes fluttered open at the loss of her hand on his sex and stared into her dark eyes, they were flecked with gold and they were shining more than he could ever believe a humans eyes could. Though he could not keep his eyes open when he felt the sensation of her guiding his hand down her pants, he could feel just how hot she was as well and then just how silky she was down there she held his hand firm in place as she ground down on it a few time when he pushed up against her grinding he received such a pleasant movement from her tongue, he was confused when she removed his hand from her sex it felt cool in the air as it was damp from her secretions, she released his hand as hers went back. She moved her other free hand back to his chest as he began to squirm and move around wanting more of the sensations that she was giving him.

As his eyes were closed she removed her hand from her own sex after she felt it was sufficiently coated with her own wet heat, she then again placed her hand on his exposed member coating it in her own pleasure. She broke the kiss as she wanted a better look at what she was doing to him. His head hung back one hand worked on his chest focussing on the more sensitive nipple, and he began stuttering as she moved up and down his length at a firm and steady pace. She felt her own juices drip down his cock as they did down her leg at the sight of him. As he began to get close his hips moved into her at a faster pace which she met with fluctuating grip from hard to soft milking him of his own control. She began holding her hand closer to the head as she began harshly rubbing her thumb over the tip and he pumped into her, her hand kept messaging his chest harder and harder as she could feel him getting to the edge. When she did his heart felt as though it was about to burst it was pumping so fast and his whole body went into a state of tremors and seizing as he furiously came into her hand and onto her leg. She kept softly rubbing his member as he fell through waves of pleasure after cumming.

Then a wave of exhaustion he had never felt hit him, his whole body felt as though it was giving out on him as he fell into her slumping to the ground. She held him there in her warmth for a moment as she felt him go unconscious. Once she was certain he was out she kneeled and placed him back against the wall she looked down at her pant and pushed some of his seed off, some sticking to her hand she brought it to her face licking it off. So this was the seed of a king, interesting, she thought, it still had the saltiness that other seed had but she had to admit there was something different about it, fresher, or sweeter? She couldn't place it.

"I may have gone too far," she thought aloud. She took the bottom of her tunic and wiped him down the best she could before wrapping and clipping his robes around him once again. Quickly she looked around and saw a chair not too far off in the dark, she lifted him and placed him there. She was not sure why, but somewhere in her mind, she thought he might be more forgiving if she did not leave him in an… unsteady manner. She could feel the wetness between her legs persist, but the more she thought about what she had to do now the faster she could feel it dry. "I hope harvest season is a long way off" she muttered as she moved quickly disappearing into the dark corridors.

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 **OK, so there you have it.**

 **I do not know when I will upload another chapter and I hope you all enjoyed it and I did not** lose **too many readers.**

 **I will probably come back and edit this chapter one day, but to be honest I wanted to post it and get it out of my system to move forward with the story**


	9. Chapter 9

**ok so it has been a long time since I have uploaded on this story, (mostly because I felt as though I had written my self into a corner with that last section)**

 **Here we are with chapter 9**

 **it might be a bit choppy but there was a lot I had to get through to get the story back on track to where I wanted it to be, there will be an authors' note at the end if you are interested**

 **this is basically a combination of a bunch of shorter chapters**

 **Hope you enjoy anyway!**

 **Warning: this story was rated M for a reason, those reasons being sex, gore, and some fancy fantasy profanity**

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The underground air began to feel heavy around her as Sunal made her way back to her quarters. How long did she have? An hour? Two? There was no way she would be able to know. She had been wound like a ball and string, that only needed a light tap to be quickly unwound. She truly had thought she could hold out longer, she was never one to let her hunger get to her. Yet she was left unsatisfied for so long, if she had left there was a chance of her being spotted or her invitation being firmly rescinded if for some reason they caught her leaving without permission.

She reached her room going straight to the large bed, she reached underneath grabbing her personal gear and a few of the elven made possessions she now boasted as her own. Rifling through drawers clothing blosumbed out in a variety of colors and materials hanging over the sides others strewn across the ground after quick decisions were made about the necessity of elven silk. She would miss the clothes and the beauty of the great halls, but so far it had been a disappointment. What she had read of them in their books, though at times interesting, was simple lore and old stories. Nothing that she could not learn elsewhere if she searched hard enough. There was also so much that would never apply to her here.

The experience had been intriguing though vexing. She had never been so conflicted in leaving a place even before this. She felt as though she had failed. And though she was sure that she could find some new place to go and other adventures to take where she would not feel as limited as she had here. Yet she had hoped to bring more interesting tales back to her father. This tale might give him a light laugh, but there was even a hollowness to the thought.

He had been right she was young and lacking the pride and patience undeserving the title of a true dragon. The damn human parts of her, the desires beyond gold and power were infuriating and always heightened and bright, they were a nuisance that she had hoped would fade or grey with time.

She looked out the window. Should she burn the place down? It was all mangled roots and mud at the end of the day, it would be so easy to set the place ablaze. It would smell wonderful, like a thousand woodland fires inside of a cave. They would never expect it.

The thought played on her mind for a moment as she downed the rest of the drink, before quickly dismissing the thought. No, she shook her head looking at the distressed room she saw a flagon of wine she had gotten a fortnight passed. Walking over she grabbed the flagon and moved towards a chair collapsing into it she took a slug of its contents enjoying the burn down her throat as the drink settled in her stomach. She needed to sit and think for a moment. She had trapped herself in the cave and there was no sky to fly into. She should not act rashly. She took another long drag from the flagon of strong elvish wine focusing on the sweet taste to try and focus her thoughts. She could scare the unknowing elves if she needed to get out fast, but wait and see what happens first. There is no reason to rush into the fire just because you are in the pan.

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He knew not to follow her back into the halls, he knew he shouldn't let himself be alone with her. His shame was too great to admit to what he had been doing to anyone, he could barely look his kin in their eyes. Elves were above this, he was above this. There was nothing in the vast knowledge of his people that ever spoke of anything akin to this or the sensations that he had been going through. He wanted answers. He wanted more, his skin itched for it and his mind couldn't seem to filter her out, and he didn't know why. He shook his head and anger flooded him. What is this, what did she do to him! He made it back to his chambers but once there that was where he stayed.

He could still feel her eyes on him as he lay in his bed. He couldn't sleep not that he ever ran out of reasons not to get it, but this was never one that he had encountered. He could feel where she had touched him. Her face the back of his head his chest and… he could feel his breathing getting tighter and his heart rate get faster. What was this?

Her eyes, how she looked at him what she did to him. This was not normal what she did was not normal, but … it felt… like fire boiling inside of him, he brought his hand to the back of his head where hears had been bringing his hand lower he closed his eyes as he traced where she had brought her hand down his body until he realized that he was grasping his hardening cock slowly moving it as images of her on top of him moving on him filtered through his mind. He had never done this, he had never heard of elves having this kind of carnal desire before, but there was something about her. He groaned as he thought back to what her would mouth felt like, sucking as she moved her head bobbing over and over again, and he moved his hand to the memory; it wasn't enough. He groaned again trying to seek release from whatever she had done to him.

What would she look like without all of those useless clothes on, what else could she have done? What noises would she have made if he had been inside of her more southern hole, would she writhe beneath him, pushing herself against him? He could remember the feel of her breasts under the shirt and bindings she had worn for practice he tried to imagine what they would feel like against his skin, to have all of her body against his. To have every part of him as hot as where she had touched him that night. He could feel himself tightening as he pulled harder and faster his muscles tensing as he jerked his body faster seeking release, images of her eyes looking into him, teasing him, trying to fuck him, he closed his eyes tighter as he imagined her naked and moving with him in that back alley and he could feel his release come in a wave, rushing over him like a chill before a battle. He shuddered into it as he came.

As the tension eased through and as he felt all his muscles relaxing simultaneously a wave of questions and emotions began to numbly take over. What was he doing, guilt, what had he just done? Confusion. What is she doing to me? Curiousness. Why do I want more? Desire. What has just happened? But another weight grew heavy in his chest, Disgust.

Days passed and the once purely confident king had grown unsure of every step he took. Emotions he had not felt since he was young or indeed in his whole life had been opened to him. It sickened and excited him at the same time. He barely spoke in the last few days in fear of anything linking him to his shame passing through his lips as they did so often at night when the heat of the memory and emotions returned to him.

He didn't know why he had not simply banished her, but it had felt as though she would have won something from him, something that he was not willing to relinquish. The few times he left his quarters other than for a few meetings had been to go to the training grounds or the libraries, but the girl had been missing from both. He was sure that she had not left or Fanion would have told him. Complaining that the one interesting thing had grown tired of the old creature that he was. Yet he seemed content to attend their meetings as though nothing was wrong, though there was an ever so slight downturn to his friends usually stoic face today.

He should check in on his friend, simply to see what was troubling him. After the meeting adjourned Thandurill quickly met then matched the pace of his friend before slowing, walking at his slower even pace.

"I have been waiting for you to ask how things have been going in my house, dear friend." Fanion looked slyly over to a frowning Thranduil

"You simply seemed displeased with something Fanion, I wished to see what had been on your mind that is all." Thranduil said his stoic face turning a bit sour at the implication of Fanions words

"I gave you an opening and you attached to the opportunity as always my friend. You never change even after all this time I still must give you an opening so that you can ask what you truly have on your mind, otherwise, you will not mention whatever it is. Suffering in silence as you like to do." Fanion said turning forward again as they began walking to one of the secluded balconies they enjoyed.

"You make me sound as if I am some brooding old man." Thranduil responded only slightly put off.

"We are old and brooding elves, look at the two of us. I buried myself so deep into books and libraries that I lost that special spark that makes life so interesting. It is why the call to the sea grows every day, even with our new friend I have been entertaining here."

Thranduil sighed in frustration before looking up and seeing a familiar face. "Lodrieil, we missed you at the last meeting. Are you feeling ill." He asked for the ellith looked pale and her eyes hazed and unfocused.

"There will be fire on the battlefield, but it will not burn the elves." Lodrieil spoke in a distant voice, unmoving she starred in their direction. Without missing a moment Fanion was by her side.

He held her by the shoulders as her eyes sharpened looking back at him, she continued, "As the sun sets and red dyes the evening skies, a fire will burn the orcs and spare the elves."

There was a pause in the air as Lodrieil composed herself leaning heavily on Fanion, her age and the weight of a vision taking its toll on her body. Fanion turned to Thraduill eyes narrowed as he held his friend up. "We must call a war council. It seems orcs are mobilizing closer than our scouts have seen." Fanion advised

Thranduil nodded and walked closer to Lodrieil offering her his arm she took hold placing her weight onto him to stand upright. "Call the council Fanion. We will meet within the hour, and have more scouts sent our fan our boundaries; have them look for any signs of these foul beasts." Thranduil commanded.

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It had been five days. Sunal had done nothing for three days. She stayed within the confines of Fanion's large home, and dove into studies for what she was assuming her last moments in an elven city of any kind. She did not sleep and she did not eat much, her nerves telling her to stay alert. She could survive a few days without rest but the lack of eating was getting to her. She was technically still growing, though the effects may not be seen on the human form she took. She needed to figure out what was going to happen.

Was Thraduill waiting for her to lower her guard so that he could have her captured, thrown into a cell, or assassinated? Somehow she doubted it. It would have been done by now or she would have suspected something. But there had been nothing. In fact, Fanion had seemed more concerned with her well being more than ever gifting her book after book that she mentioned she liked.

She was going through a large book of histories, it was hard to read in the old elvish, but she could manage. It seemed the tales were from before the Great War with Sauron. There were large battles with orc armies and there were minor generals and battles fought. Elves that took on great acclaim and strength in times of great uncertainty. There were even stories of some great elven women, though most of them ended in tragedy. And then she came across it. It was a short mention within a minor epic, but there it was. The only mention of assault of a sexual nature, she had ever heard of or read in all of the many books she had been plowing over.

It seemed some king had fallen in love with a beautiful elven woman. She did not return his feelings and she refused any and all advances. But this did not stop the king's advances, he eventually kidnapped and defiled her. From what she could understand in old elvish, she took her own life after the traumatic event.

How tragic she thought bitterly to herself. She ran her hand through her hair nervously and poured herself a glass of wine that she had been abstaining from and downed its sweet contents. Closing her eyes she tried to remember what she had done, how far had she gone, how depraved had she been.

Then there was an urgent knock on the door. Sunal cracked her neck and went to grab her bag. Was this it? Had he sent troops to bring her in after whole days of nothing? Sunal opened the door with her other hand resting on her sword by her side prepared to fight only to see Fanion by her door.

His normally calm eyes were now worried and darting. "May I come in. We must speak."

Opening the door further she allowed Fanion in, closing it shortly after. Sunals mind was running through a never-ending cycle of thoughts as he entered, had Thranduil told Fanion what she had done, had he somehow found out on his own, or had the king done something to himself.

Fanion walked over to the balcony and slowly turned towards her. Looking down at her he noticed her bag and tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. "So you have heard then."

"Have I heard what." Sunal said slowly

"So then you have not heard." turning back towards the balcony, "I assumed because of your bag that you might have heard the news of the orc army. But there would have been no way for you to hear of such new developments."

"An army? The orcs mobilized? They usually do not travel in large herds outside of Mordor." Sunals mind was having a hard time shifting thought patterns. This had nothing to do with her or her actions instead this was a visit about an orc army?

"It is best not to mention that place in these lands." Fanion said darkly briefly turning towards her before looking back out, "Our scouts have just come back from confirming our suspicions. A small army of them have mobilized under an Orc named is only 300, but the fact that they have come together like this is not a good sign."

"So you have come here because you want me to what? Fight? I am here as a guest. I am no coward, but this is not my fight. The armies here should be plenty to fight off the incursion."

"I am not worried that we will not win this battle. Our troops can handle an army like this swiftly. But something is plaguing the mind of my king Thranduil."

"And how am I to know what is plaguing the mind of a great king?" Sunal said her hand tightening over her satchel.

"I have not come to ask you about what plages his mind, but only to tell you that it has made him act... hastily. Lodrieil and I both agreed that sending a larger force of 600 to wipe them out as we can with numbers and force was the best course of action to prevent any fatality. And we do not want to underestimate them. The darkness in the forest has grown in these last few years and it would be rash to think too little of these creatures." he paused simmering for a moment, "But our king is stubborn. This stubbornness has led him to believe that it would be giving these creatures more credit than they deserved to treat them as a real threat. Only 400 troops will be sent." Fanion held more venom in that last comment than she had heard him use in her entire stay, he practically spat the last comment out.

"So I ask again what do you want me to do with this information? Because it sounds as though you want me to fight."

"My friend, it is not that I am asking you to fight," Fanion said his voice calming once more, "but that I am asking you to protect my friend as you have protected me in the past."

Sunal paused her silence lingering in the air as her mind fluttered over her options and over her actions over the past few days. Killing orcs and doing a favor for someone she was beginning to consider a friend. It was better than waiting for something to happen that might not. But then again she could just leave. Travel to some other corner of Middle earth. There were still parts she had not seen, places she wanted to go. Places that would cause her less grief.

It was not that she was afraid of an orc army, in fact, the small number of troops posed no threat to her, but elves were sharp creatures. If she was put in a compromising position she might have to reveal more than she wanted them to see. And the elves remembered. She would either face their blade or have a lot of tedious wordsmithing to do upon her return.

Sunal looked up. Fanion had turned to her, the clear worry for his friend apparent on his face. Sunal sighed a great sigh making her decision.

"You so graciously opened your hall to me, and have welcomed me with open and warm arms. To reject such an honest plea would be thoroughly ungrateful." Sunal said her bag dropping to the ground. She could feel the wine on the back of her throat cling there, reminding her of the thin ice she was treading on.

The look of relief on Fanion's face should have made her resolve stronger, yet it made her chest tight with frustration. She was not one for doing favors, she was one for collecting them. "So then," she continued, "Where do I report?".

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If there was one thing Sunal could say about the elven troops it was that they moved efficiently through the woods. All 400 troops quickly moved through the woods to the location where they saw the orcs.

When they got to the end of the forest the sun was lowering into the horizon but there were still a few hours of light left in the evening. The troops quickly moved into formation not waiting for the orcs to fully prepare for the assault.

There were two groups of soldiers. The ones at the head in a triangle formation followed by two lines of warriors moving at a steady pace forward into the field of orcs.

The battle began and at first what seemed a steady killing of orcs soon turned into a hard defense as the creatures pulled out giant hogs. Atop one of the hogs was a particularly ugly orc with what looked like horns coming out of its back. Sunal assumed this was their leader as the orcs gathered around him into more of a formation. The creature was calling out orders in orcish waving some sort of staff around cursing the elves for their arival.

Thranduil entered the center of the triangle that was at the head of the formation. Sunal could only watch as a great hog broke through the defensive shields battering elves out of the way and separating the smaller front group. But the elves responded quickly closing the two gaps. The front unit moved faster towards the center of the battle. Now separate from the main unit they made efficient work of cutting the head from the snake. The general's hog falling and with it the generals head. But now the unit was surrounded by the immobilized yet dangerous herd of orcs.

The king's forces had been flanked and separated from the main force. They had not prepared for such a large invasion of orcs this side of the forest, it would have been less trouble had they been closer in the woods, as the elves would have been able to get in their normal defensive formations. But the well-trained soldiers knew not to break their formation on open ground and to keep a steady movement forward, but the chaos of the battlefield blocked off how much they could do and see, and the gap between the main force and the front attack force seemed to grow larger with each passing moment.

Sunal had made her way to the third line of the forces, they were attacking with the second line while the first group held up their shields. However, Sunal cared little for these defensive maneuvers and began to grow frustrated behind the hindering shields. They were moving forward step by step, but she could hear the cries of a true fight far ahead of them.

Turning to the commanding officer of the group shouting out, "I am going over the barricades, there is more I can do to break heard from the outside!"

The elf commander paid little heed to the girl as he made a quick hand motion, two of the men in front of the first defense stepped down and she took her spit second to jump over them into the fray of the battle. Landing hard on the ground she expertly thrust her way through the battlefield. Bringing her sword up to her teeth for a brief moment it lit aflame startling the random large pigs and the few orcs surrounding her.

She could see the head of the silver mane from the large elk King Thranduil had been riding, their number outranked and surrounded around 40 passes down the steep slopes and from the rest of their troops. Bending low Sunal shot forward cutting through flesh and bone swerving expertly across the battlefield. The orcs moved slowly before, but since her time training with the elves, the dumb creatures seemed to be moving even slower.

Her eyes gleamed gold, and a smile drew across her face as blood and cries surrounded her. She did not fight with honor, cutting into their legs and backs, because what was the point of fighting with honor if your opponents would not treat you with the same respect.

Finally, she could hear a few of the orcs call out to their brethren warning them of the female on the field. She had left some of those in her wake alive deciding that a few missing limbs and burning clothes would be enough for her to keep them from being any more trouble. Under her armor she let her scales burn through her skin any area covered she was impenetrable on that field.

"Come here you rotten pieces of pig shit! Here I am!" She bolted from her chest as the three, now four orcs separated from the heard making a flailing wild dash towards her. One got trampled by one of the stampeding hogs and the other three made their way towards her. Quickly she matched the steal of the first two swiftly severing the leg off of one and burning through the sword of the other cutting right into its face and skull.

Fighting an large group of talented elves was one thing, but killing orcs was child's play. Even in large numbers they never had coordinated attacks, they were always straightforward with their movements. It was almost like killing giant moving sacks of grain.

She had created a path it was mostly clear, there were small skirmishes around her, all she had to do was maneuver over the bodies she had quickly taken care of. There was a herd of giant black pigs riding through the battlefield, some having orcs on their backs others were barreling through the elves ranks breaking their formations.

Sunal had moved separately from the main attack force in order to get closer to the king's force, "Fanion, owes me for this one." she said playfully to herself twisting her flaming sword around in her hand. "Come pigs for a real fight, you cowards!" She yelled out in her guttural orcish. More in the vicinity came barreling towards her in an animalistic rage, the kind that was easier to kill.

She had drawn enough away from the small herd surrounding the king's forces so that she could see their defensive line. They had been switching in their defense positions for too long, but the sudden lightening of attacking form one side gave them room to move back towards the main forces, and she could just barely hear Thranduil's strong voice directing them back to those forces. For the briefest of moments she could see his eyes acknowledging her and the distraction she was creating, by separating the herd that had surrounded them and taking a large force of them on wanting to waste their opportunity they began a steady movement towards her, and the rest of the forces behind her slowly closed in on her rear.

During this Sunal went back into the thick of it in between the two elvan forces in a full circle attack from the large orcs, using some of those she had either decapitated or cut the arms off as slightly alive burning shields. She began warding off the rest of the force surrounding her.

Some of the smaller ones looked hesitant at each other and the carnage surrounding the woman with the wild look and the flaming sword. It seemed that any blow they were landing slid off of her, or that she had no blind spots, as soon as one came up behind her nostrils would flare she would flip attacking her opponent that had tried to flank her. She was fighting erratically, there were no predictable moves some of the smarter orcs could see this their heads twisting in anger and fear.

With the swing of her sword she took three out from her left blocking those on her right. She felt a blade hit her back and glide off as she turned and decapitated the little orc that had come for her. The orcs came in a steady stream from all sides and Sunal took them all on moving with enough power to push them all back and throw them around with the strength of a tree herder. A large pig came crashing through the middle of their forces, riderless it ran through the orcs taking two down in its path while missing Sunal by a hair as she moved swiftly out of its path, plunging her sword into another orc.

Finally, the orcs surrounding her were suddenly being attacked from behind as the Kings smaller force made their way towards her and the rest of the troops closed into the break she was creating. Sunal would occasionally spare a glance at the king's forces making sure that he was safe, he had returned to his elk, sword in one hand slashing through arrows, and a long staff in the other killing orcs over the tops of his soldiers also guarding the perimeter.

Their small circle was taking care of the orcs she had not fully killed, ending their limbless misery as the orcs forces began to significantly shrink both due to their slaughter and due to the large group that had been seen retreating to the darker parts of the forest. Finally when the distance between the two forces was minimal Sunal slashed her last orcs neck, sidestepping as the two forces moved in unison reconnecting yet holding a strong defense their shields snaking together allowing for the king's force to merge back in.

By this point, there were only a dozen or so left on the battlefield and they began their scattered retreat towards the woods with the others. The sharp arrows of the elves finding their mark for the majority of them either at the base of their neck or back.

Sunal was huffing her chest heaving with adrenaline as she took her rest from all the fighting and in the safety behind the elven defenses, she closed her eyes, trying to regain some composure. Her eyes dulled and her scales receded painfully underneath her skin from her still concealed areas, she admitted she should have brought them in sooner but she felt safe that in the hectic focus of the elves she was sure they would not notice.

The two forces might have reconnected without her intervening but their chances had not looked good, and she had promised Fanion she would look out for his king and his friend as she had him on the day they met. And that was what she did, ensuring him and his force basically safe passage back to the main force through brute strength.

Not wanting to burn any of the elves in her vicinity she lowered her sword into the mud from all the soldiers stomping into the ground, and with a sharp sizzle the fire from the sword on both sides she extinguished the flames, She wiped off the hot metal as best she could before resheathing it knowing full well it would need some more cleaning and a new sharpen after that fight.

It was then that she could feel the fur of the great beast on her left shoulder. She looked up and there was the giant elk in all its majesty, with the no less stunning elven king atop its back. His face was hard to read as it always was. But as he looked down at her he gave her a nod in acknowledgment of her actions. She also gave him a slight nod in return.

There was a lot said in that short change as they passive stayed next to each other. She could feel the calm breathing from the great animal next to her. She knew that animals and elves could form strong emotional bonds, she knew she was not fully forgiven for what she had done. Because what she had done, was for an elf she debasing. But she could tell by how calm he and the animal stood beside her, there was an acknowledgment that there was some debt paid back.

She had put herself on the line to save him and limit the danger to his troops. They could put her past actions behind them, and her position though still shaky was also more respected by him and the community.

As the battle had ended and at last, they broke ranks to capture those orcs left alive for interrogations. It was then that the giant elk turned from her side going back into the direction of their kingdom. Sunal turned to look around, after not receiving any orders she simply turned back to follow the giant creature. The last light from the sun dying the red sky a dark shade of purple-red as the clouds moved south with the high winds.

* * *

0-8-8-8-8-0

Fanion looked out from one of the balconies with a clear view of the elves coming in and out of the great entrance to their kingdom. He had had a bad feeling about this battle, something was off about the movements of the orcs, and other darker creatures. He was glad that Sunal had gone with the group of forces, even though she was not part of the main force protecting Thranduil, he knew that she would keep an eye out for him.

He could hear the gates open as he saw Thranduil lead the troops back into the hall. As usual he moved in a way that commanded everyone's attention, and Fanion was relieved to see that his friend had not been injured. He noticed Sunal was only a few paces behind Thranduil walking in front of the captured orcs along with the general that had accompanied the small force.

"From the reports, it seems as though there were no casualties." Fanion heard from the hall behind him.

"It seems there were not. Due in some small part to your… guest." Lodrieil lulled into the air.

"So then have your suspicions of her diminished at all yet, or are you still going to wait and watch until you find what you want."

"You persist in making light of my suspicions. There is something wrong with that human. You know there is. I can feel it and I can see it. A dark aura surrounds her, and her stench becomes more potent every day. She is not one to be trusted. I trust you with my life even when I don't know what it is you plan. I know you would never intentionally do anything that would hurt our people." Lodrieil shook her head looking forward before continuing, "But you are too curious about this girl's aura, it is new in a world that is old. You need someone to tell you to be wary. Our king seems to have grown interested in her as well, though I am not sure it is healthy for him. Even you can see the danger of a human being too close to our king."

"No. I honestly can not say I do."

"Then you are blind."

Fanion let out a scoff from his chest, "Was she not the fire that left our troops unburnt? She means no harm to us Lodrieil. She saves us with her flaming sword and now she saves more, yet you continue to push me into a pit of distrust and boundless suspicion."

"Fire is unpredictable. One moment fire is an ally keeping the nights warm and bright against enemies. The next moment it is burning down homes, scorching the earth, and searing flesh from bone."

Fanion put his hands on the balcony leaning forward placing his weight on them. "And yet every night countless fires are lit anyway. Even though there might be dangerous many are still drawn to its flames for various reasons." His eyes narrowed in on his friend Thranduil noticing the sparing glances he gave the human a few paces behind him.

Fanion lightly pushed off the banister of the balcony balancing himself back onto his feet he turned to Lodrieil. "This evening has taken much from me, and I must retire after giving congratulations to my friends, old and new."

Fanion slowly left leaving Lodrieil on the balcony surveying the movements of those below her. A sickness settled in her stomach and a sense of foreboding hit her when she too noticed a slight passing glance towards the human. The slight fleeting glance only a close friend would notice. "A feeble spark or even a flickering flame must be watched so that it may not turn into a burning blaze taking down all that surrounds it."

* * *

 **OK so here we are**

 **What are your thoughts so far please let me know!**

 **comments really help me with ideas and keep my writing spirits high!**

 **critical comments are welcome too, just so long as they are coming from a place of grammar, spelling, or story and not that you are just not feeling the 'vibe' of the story**

 **Authors Note:**

 **Ok so for those of you who are interested, I wanted to talk a little bit about the events of this and the last chapter. Honestly, that whole scene at the end of the last chapter was not supposed to happen until like three chapters after this one. It has made me have to reconfigure a lot of the plot I had set up. Like a lot.**

 **But the fact that Sunal was the aggressor/initiator was something that had always been planed on. And I get that for a few people that did not go over well. And that is fine. Of course, I want people to like what I write, but I am not going to change things because they make a few people uncomfortable. If you do not like it you do not have to read it! And that is fine if it is not your thing, then it is not your thing.**

 **I have noticed that there are a lot of M rated stories that feature something similar to this but with the roles reversed. It is almost commonplace to see the man as more the dominant figure in most stories. But my character is anything but just submissive. She is literally a combination of a human and a dragon, why would she be submissive! (Yes saying it that way I do realize the combination human/dragon sounds a bit ridiculous, but hey I'm having fun with her and I hope you are too)**

 **To clarify a little bit more. This was very hard to get back on track and one day when I have written much more of this story I might go round and move it into its intended order but for right now I am going to work with it staying where it is.**


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